Manchester United suffered a 0-3 loss to Bournemouth in their latest clash at Old Trafford. But, one of the key talking points of the game was Bruno Fernandes’ absence from the playing lineup. He was benched by Michael Carrick from the game following the midfielder’s public criticism of manager’s tactics. In his spot, Harry Maguire wore the armband and shouldered the captaincy duties.
What led to Bruno Fernandes’ Snub from Playing Lineup
Notably, United suffered a 4-1 loss to Como in their Wednesday clash in the Champions League. Following the game, Fernandes blamed Carrick’s game plan and said that the manager failed to change things during the game.
However, Carrick later said that it was not personal and called it ‘a football decision’. He said that choosing between options isn’t easy. He added that he wanted the right team to get the performance he is after. He said that his aim was to pick the right team for the day.
“When you have options it’s always a difficult decision. We have to make the right one for today and the team to get that performance we want,” he stated.
Nevertheless, the decision was significant considering Fernandes’ importance to United’s attacking play. As per stats, he has recorded 14 assists and created 96 chances since Carrick took charge in January, leading players across Europe’s five major leagues in both measures during that period.
United entered the game under considerable pressure, having managed just one win in their opening seven Premier League games. The team had also gone seven games without a win across all competitions. However, the result of the game didn’t turn out to be in their favour, despite the manager wanting to try new combination.
