Manchester United produced a remarkable second-half comeback on Tuesday at Old Trafford, beating Roma 3-2 after trailing 2-0, to end a run of nine matches without a win. Captain Bruno Fernandes said after the match that the players "do not need to save anyone's job".
Fernandes said the victory was desperately needed for both the club and the players. "We are working hard to get out of this situation together," he told Amazon Prime. He admitted it had been difficult because, he claimed, there had been much speculation in the media and "a lot of lies" about his relationship with manager Michael Carrick. "We clarified things, and after that the manager decided to put me on the bench because I am not providing good performances," he added. "Everyone thought it was a punishment for my words. If it was, it was justified. The manager is the one who makes the decisions."
Fernandes spoke to the media for the first time since being benched after publicly criticising Carrick's tactics following a 4-1 defeat at Como. This was followed by him being an unused substitute in a 3-0 loss to Bournemouth, before being recalled for the league defeat by Chelsea. According to reports, Fernandes and Carrick had a conversation beforehand to clear up misunderstandings. Fernandes also said that none of this changes his confidence in the manager, the coaching staff and every player, and that his goal remains to win every match ahead of him.
Former Leicester goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel commented on the situation on BBC Radio 5 Live. "In Bruno Fernandes' defence, I have been in football a long time and what the media report is usually a fraction of the truth," he said. He added that the number of times he had seen something written about the clubs he played for that had no relation to the truth was staggering. "I hope Manchester United and Michael Carrick put a full stop to all of this publicly and get back to winning like today," he said.
Carrick signed a two-year contract last season after achieving 12 wins in 17 matches and returning United to the Champions League after two years' absence. Despite this, United are in 17th place in the Premier League with just one win in the first nine rounds. After the match against Bournemouth, Carrick was widely considered a candidate for dismissal, but the club's management decided the 45-year-old deserved a chance to turn things around at Old Trafford.
Youri Tielemans told Amazon Prime after the win over Roma that there had been a lot of pressure on the manager and that they were repaying him with a comeback like this, with a lot of character and fight. Asked if the result would save Carrick's job, he replied that it was a different question and that they could only stand by him, fight for him and for the club. Midfielder Kobbie Mainoo added that ending the winless run had been a "relief". "A big sigh of relief, we needed this win for a while now and we hope to continue," he said.
Fernandes started the incredible comeback from the penalty spot in the 58th minute, thereby reducing some of the pressure on Carrick. The win was United's second in four Champions League matches this season and lifted the club to 17th place in the league phase standings.
