Carrick retains Fernandes as captain and says he needs no assurances on Manchester United future
Michael Carrick said on 29 October 2026 he will not strip Bruno Fernandes of the Manchester United captaincy after dropping him for the defeat by Bournemouth, and added he does not need assurances about his future as head coach. Carrick made the remarks ahead of Manchester United’s Saturday game at Chelsea.
Carrick and Fernandes held talks this week after the Portuguese criticised the tactics in the loss to Como, and Fernandes was an unused substitute on Sunday. Harry Maguire took the armband against Bournemouth but Carrick said “there is no decision to be made” over the captaincy for the Chelsea match.
On Fernandes, Carrick said: “He’s an important player for this group. He has been and he will be. Between us, we’ve got to make a difference and we’ve got to push things in a good direction. He’s fully committed to this football club, he’s fully committed to making things better. It doesn’t change for me. He’s the one that’s kind of led the team so well for many a game and many a year, and he’ll continue to do that.”
The United hierarchy held talks at the start of the week over whether to stick with Carrick after eight games without a win and a wait of more than two months for a Premier League victory, but he has been given a chance to turn around the club’s form. There has been interest in Eddie Howe or Julian Nagelsmann as potential replacements.
Asked whether he needed guarantees about his role, Carrick said: “I don’t need any assurances from anyone. I totally get the position, I understand the job, I understand the responsibilities, I understand what comes with that.” When asked if he was surprised to remain in charge he replied: “No, I am here to do my job. I am here to do the best for the team, and I am desperate to make us better and improve things, so I’m not surprised, no.”
Supporters cheered Carrick off after the Bournemouth game while the players were booed at Old Trafford, and Carrick responded: “I care about what the supporters think. I care about what it feels like in the stadium, and them travelling for games, to come and see us and support us. I care about what we give them, and what we offer them, and what they see. I genuinely don’t take any notice of anything else. I know this job, I know what it brings, I know what we need to do really to be better. I don’t need anyone else to tell me anything else.”
United will be without the striker Benjamin Sesko until the new year because of a shin injury, but Carrick was boosted by Kobbie Mainoo’s return to training this week.