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Manchester United star Matheus Cunha was allegedly involved in a heated confrontation with manager Michael Carrick during their mauling by Como.
The Premier League giants are in meltdown with Red Devils captain Bruno Fernandes slamming club legend Carrick's tactics after the 4-1 battering by the Serie A side in the Champions League on Wednesday evening. Former United and England midfielder Carrick, 45, hit back in an astonishing press conference following the loss.
Cesc Fabregas' Italian outfit cruised to a 4-1 win with Nico Paz netting a stunning double in the comprehensive rout. The heavy loss compounds a dismal run for Carrick, extending their winless streak to seven matches after just two wins in 11 matches in all competitions this season. And one reporter claimed after the defeat that Carrick had a "relatively robust" clash with Cunha during an incident that escaped the television cameras.
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Samuel Luckhurst of the Sun posted on X: "Carrick just had a relatively robust exchange of views with Cunha during the stoppage before he cursed at #mufc losing possession again."
Several United fans also voiced concern over the "altercation" between the Brazilian and his gaffer. Cunha was hauled off at half-time, with Amad brought on, while Carlos Baleba also entered the fray at the start of the second period in a bid to rescue the match.
Yet it proved pointless as United were outplayed in every department. United's hopes of a vital three points were virtually extinguished within two minutes when Paz curled home a spectacular opener, leaving United immediately shell-shocked, reports the Mirror.
Carrick's side were punished for sloppy defending after giving the ex-Real Madrid star far too much room to operate. The away team were fortunate not to be further behind at the break.
However, just four minutes into the second half, Anastasios Douvikas struck, sparking an eight-minute blitz from Como, with Paz capitalising on a United mistake. A week on from Lisandro Martinez's furious outburst, where he slammed the lack of squad reinforcements and the Old Trafford bosses, Fernandes - hooked after 67 minutes - chose to voice his own frustrations.
In a shocking interview, he questioned Carrick's tactical setup. He said: "It's a decision from the staff to not press man-to-man and sometimes leave space behind and try to get the ball, wait for them, but sometimes when you give space to these teams they get confidence.
"It's not the first time, we started on the wrong foot, and they scored very early. Not much pressure on the ball, not many good movements with the ball, not many things going our way.
"Conceding early makes us go into game with a mood of defeat, it's difficult to get out of that, trying to be brave, to have the ball and make something happen. If we are not able to do that, it is going to be very difficult to get out of this situation."
The fallout from Wednesday's clash will continue to reverberate, much like it did after last week's 2-0 defeat to Atletico Madrid following Martinez's remarks. United have been thrust into the limelight for all the wrong reasons as their once-promising campaign threatens to unravel just two months in.
Carrick hit back at Fernandes and questioned his squad's dedication, with the club teetering on the brink of chaos both on and off the pitch. He stated: "We might win, we might lose, but the way we went about it tonight, I wouldn't say everyone, but the way we went about it in some ways tonight wasn't acceptable.
"And I just wanted to let the fans know that I feel for them, for sure. It wasn't just the goals, if I'm totally honest. It was the manner and the way we played at times, in the way we went about it, that was the difficult thing to watch for me.
"We actually half-pressed man-to-man 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 ain't going to win."