Man Utd Won’t Punish Fernandes After Carrick Criticism as Rooney Slams Players
Fernandes questioned Carrick's tactics after the game, then said it was up to the head coach and his staff, not the players, to spot problems and fix them.
Many outside the club saw that as a challenge to Carrick's authority, coming just eight days after defender Lisandro Martinez criticised director of football Jason Wilcox and the club's summer signings.
Inside Old Trafford, though, there is some sympathy for Fernandes. The Portugal midfielder did 10 post-match interviews in Como, even though he was taken off for Joshua Zirkzee midway through the second half. There is some disappointment over what he said, but the club accepts his anger was understandable after one of the worst defeats in United's European history.
It is not clear if he will start Sunday's Premier League game against Bournemouth at Old Trafford. Carrick will be asked about it at his news conference at 15:00 WAT on Friday.
Wayne Rooney was less forgiving. The former United striker, a close friend of Carrick, said he was in "shock" and "disbelief" at the Como display and is as "worried as I've been for a long time" about the club. He understands why Carrick is being questioned, but he called the players "selfish" and said "they're like babies".
"When Martinez came out, I said this is an absolute nightmare because it will rip the dressing room apart," Rooney told the United Stand podcast. "That was the start. We've seen it now with Bruno and you're going to see it with more players because they don't want to take responsibility.
"You can say whether Bruno was right or wrong in what he said but you have to take responsibility on the pitch. You have to take responsibility as a group of players.
"These players, they're selfish. They don't care about their team-mates, don't care about the manager, the staff or the fans, they care about themselves. If they're not getting what's right for them, they're like babies and just throw their toys out of the pram and go and deflect the blame on to anyone else but themselves."
Fernandes' form has dropped sharply since last season, when he was named PFA and FWA Player of the Year and broke the Premier League record for assists in a season. Rooney said the captain is dodging the issue. "He [Fernandes] is putting pressure on someone else because he doesn't want to face it," he said.
"If he looks at himself in the mirror, if Martinez and all of them looked at themselves in the mirror, they'll find what's looking back at them is them, and that's not good enough. They need to show more."
Rooney also wants the United board to be clear about Carrick's future. Carrick will take charge against Bournemouth despite heavy talk that he is close to the sack, after United's worst run since 2015-16. Rooney, who has been in a similar spot himself at Plymouth and Birmingham City, said Carrick should hit back.
"I was in that situation and I can only say now, looking back and reflecting, if I was in Michael Carrick's position now, I'd come out fighting," he said.
"There's no more Mr Nice Guy. There are certain things you've got to do to protect them players, but you have to come out fighting for yourself because those players will drag you down and it's going to be you who's going to lose your job over it."
.jpg)
Post a Comment