Bruno Fernandes has backed Michael Carrick after Manchester United’s 3-2 comeback win over Roma, but insisted the players were not responsible for saving the head coach’s job.
United appeared to be in serious trouble after conceding twice inside the opening 18 minutes. Supporters responded with boos and protests, including tennis balls thrown on to the pitch, before Fernandes and Matheus Cunha inspired a remarkable turnaround.
Fernandes converted a penalty before Cunha struck twice late on to secure United’s first victory in 10 games, ending a 54-day wait for a win and easing some of the pressure surrounding Carrick.
Bruno Fernandes backs Michael Carrick after Roma comeback
Asked whether the players had rescued Carrick, United captain Fernandes told Amazon Prime: “We don’t need to save anyone’s job.”
He added: “We’ve been working so hard to get out of this situation altogether. It’s been tough. There’s been a lot of speculation in the media, a lot of lies around many things that have happened in this club. Between me and the manager, that we had to clear the air. Nothing like that happened.”
Fernandes was left on the bench for the defeat by Bournemouth after publicly questioning the tactics following a 4-1 loss to Como. He said Carrick’s decision had been justified, even though it was widely viewed as a punishment for those comments.
“The manager is the one who makes the decisions. I have to accept them, I have to go forward with that,” Fernandes said. “It doesn’t change the belief I have in the manager, in the staff and every player that is in this club. It doesn’t change my aim to win every game that I have ahead of me. It should be [a turning point].”
Carrick also rejected the suggestion that the result was primarily about his position, describing it instead as “a win for us as a football club”.
“We’ve shown a lot of character as a group to weather what we’ve had to,” he said. “You find out a lot about each other, the players will find out things about me. I certainly do about them and their character and what it means to them and what they’re prepared to put in.”
The former United midfielder said he was proud of the players for recovering from such a difficult start, while acknowledging the importance of giving supporters something to believe in.
“It is really important for the players to know what this place can do,” Carrick said. “I am not getting too carried away with things but it is an important night.”
Wayne Rooney credited Carrick with changing the momentum at half-time and helping United play with greater belief after the interval.
“Michael Carrick deserves a lot of credit as well because if you were in his shoes you are thinking, ‘how can I change this around?’” Rooney said. “Whatever he said to the team at half-time got them on the front foot and gave them the belief that they could win the game.”
Carrick’s immediate challenge is to follow the Roma victory with another positive result against Aston Villa on Sunday. A second successive win could give him further time to remain in charge before the international break.
