Manager says it was a ‘pure football’ decision following Fernandes’s comments after Champions League defeat to Como

Michael Carrick said it was a “pure football” decision to drop captain Bruno Fernandes for Manchester United’s crucial clash against Bournemouth at Old Trafford.

The Red Devils limp into Sunday’s match on a seven-match winless run having only secured two victories from their first 11 matches in all competitions this season.

United’s form leaves Carrick’s position hanging in the balance and the under-fire head coach has taken the bold call to drop skipper Fernandes to the bench against the Cherries.

The 32-year-old has been a shadow of the player that swept up awards last season, with the ineffective star replaced in the second half of Wednesday’s chastening 4-1 loss at Champions League upstarts Como.

But Fernandes’s comments in Italy were as problematic as his form, with the captain appearing to question Carrick’s tactics as another trip ended in an eye-catching post-match player interview, a week after Lisandro Martinez turned his fire on director of football Jason Wilcox.

Carrick insisted the decision to drop Fernandes was for “pure football” reasons.

“Picking the team is always a difficult decision,” he added on Sky Sports. “We’ve got to make what we feel is the right one for the team to try to get the performance we want.”

Speaking after the Como defeat, Fernandes said it was the staff’s decision “not to press man-to-man and sometimes leave a little bit of space in behind”.

United boss Carrick said on Wednesday evening: “We actually half-pressed man-to-man in the second half and then conceded a goal from that.

“And there’s a little bit on whatever system you play, whatever tactics you play, if you don’t run, and you don’t run forward, and you don’t run back, you aren’t going to win.”

Carrick refused to be drawn on Fernandes’s outburst – or the prospect of dropping him – at Friday’s prematch press conference, pledging to “always do what’s best for the football club”.

Former United captain Gary Neville backed the decision to take the skipper out of the team against the Cherries.

“They’re devastating [comments],” he told Sky Sports. “It’s a direct attack on the manager.

“If you go back 25 years, these players would never be anywhere near the club, never mind the pitch. They’d be gone. Finished.

“But Manchester United aren’t in that position any more and neither is Michael Carrick.

“I was supportive last week of Lisandro Martinez playing. I thought it was handled well because there’s no defenders, the ones who are there aren’t good enough and he got a public apology.

“I don’t think there is any way that Carrick can start Fernandes today.”

Neville added: “Fernandes has been a fantastic player for this club, he’s been world-class at times. But let’s be really blunt about it – he’s played awfully this season. His standards have been really poor. It’s a mess.”

Fernandes was among four changes from the loss to Como, with Noussair Mazraoui, Matthijs de Ligt and Matheus Cunha also taking a place on the bench as Leny Yoro, Ayden Heaven, Carlos Baleba and Amad Diallo came in. Harry Maguire takes the captain’s armband.