The expression on the faces of Manchester United’s players turned to shock and shame as they left the pitch at Old Trafford on Sunday and ran the gauntlet of fan anger.
No sooner had head coach Michael Carrick been cheered down the tunnel after a 3-0 defeat by Bournemouth left him on the brink of the sack than supporters rounded on the team and a torrent of abuse rained down from the Stretford End.
‘It was a wake-up for all the players,’ one source told Daily Mail Sport this week.
For captain Bruno Fernandes, it was a particularly painful moment. Fernandes was still in his tracksuit bottoms and hoodie having been dropped to the bench and left there to stew by Carrick as United’s season hit a new low.
He is used to the adoration of fans, but their reaction was muted to say the least when he left the dugout to warm up in the second half.
It was the culmination of the hardest two weeks of Fernandes’ seven-year career at United.
Bruno Fernandes has had the hardest two weeks of his Man United career. The lowest point came when he was hooked off in a 4-1 defeat in Como – then took aim at Michael Carrick in his post-match interview
Fernandes was left on the bench for United’s loss to Bournemouth, and didn’t receive the adulation he’s used to getting from the home supporters at Old Trafford
The 32-year-old was struggling for form and fitness this season long before Carrick replaced him in the 67th minute of the humiliating 4-1 Champions League defeat by Como.
Afterwards, he was accused of throwing his head coach under the bus by publicly blaming the tactics and lack of bravery for United’s worst European defeat in 32 years.
Fernandes was unaware at the time that his family home in Cheshire had been raided by a gang of three burglars during the game, and only found out as United set off for Manchester. Thankfully, his wife Ana and their two children were away on holiday.
It’s understood Carrick had already made the bold decision to drop Fernandes for the first time in five years, and make Harry Maguire captain against Bournemouth, even before hearing about his comments.
Despite liking an Instagram post saying ‘never push a loyal person to the point where they no longer care’ after the Bournemouth defeat, Fernandes is said to have taken Carrick’s decision on the chin when the team was named on Saturday, just as he has accepted playing in a wider position over recent weeks while Youri Tielemans has stepped into the No 10 role.
Although Carrick and Fernandes were both at Carrington on Monday as speculation raged over the head coach’s future, the player had left before Carrick turned up just before 2pm. The Portuguese was having treatment on a niggling injury that has troubled him since the World Cup.
Once United had clarified Carrick’s position, the two men met at the training ground and cleared the air on Tuesday.
Carrick has since confirmed Fernandes will remain as captain and is set to lead the side against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge this lunchtime in what is a huge game for United and their manager.
Others have been less forgiving. Jamie Carragher branded Fernandes’ comments in Como ‘disgraceful’, while Alan Shearer believes he has tarnished his legacy at Old Trafford.
Carrick and Fernandes have cleared the air at Carrington and Fernandes will remain as United’s captain, starting at Chelsea today
But the Portuguese’s actions have reignited the debate over whether Fernandes is too emotional to wear the armband
The controversy has reignited the debate over whether Fernandes is too emotional to wear the armband. Former United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said so in a video clip that resurfaced last week, explaining why he preferred Maguire.
That was put to Carrick, who was part of Solskjaer’s coaching team at the time, and he said: ‘There are different personalities, characteristics and ways to lead.
‘The questions get asked, and I understand why you’re asking them now. He cares deeply about this football club and about the team and he’s desperate to do well.’
It is a view backed up by some sources who describe a football obsessive who takes United’s problems to heart and feels the pain of the alarming slump this season just as keenly as the fans. While other players have distractions away from the pitch (too many in Gary Neville’s opinion), they say Fernandes can find no escape.
He is understood to have been worn down by yet another United crisis just when it seemed the good times were coming back under Carrick. Inevitably, that has taken its toll and has not been helped by worries over his future at Old Trafford as talks over a new contract drag on.
Insiders describe him as ‘an emotional metronome’ who sets the mood around the club, both good and bad. They say he bonds the dressing room together, and question who else in the United squad should wear the armband.
However, some of Fernandes’ team-mates in recent years have seen him as a more divisive figure whose close relationship with Ruben Amorim was viewed with suspicion.
‘The players can be quite dismissive of him,’ said a source close to one. ‘Sometimes they roll their eyes when he’s talking.’
Not surprisingly, Fernandes’ form has suffered this season with his four goals and one assist coming in United’s only two wins against Ipswich Town and Sabah – months after he picked up the Premier League Player of the Year award for his nine goals and Premier League record 21 assists last term.
He brought his trophy into Carrington and posed for individual pictures with staff from the treatment room to the canteen to thank them for the part they played in his success.
‘The players can be quite dismissive of him,’ said a source close to one of Fernandes’ team-mates. ‘Sometimes they roll their eyes when he’s talking’
Insiders describe him as ‘an emotional metronome’ who sets the mood around the club, both good and bad
‘He has been the club’s best player over the past few seasons and we need to get the best out of him for this team to succeed,’ legendary United captain Bryan Robson told Daily Mail Sport.
‘I have always thought a captain should be a centre back or deep-lying midfielder so they can see the game and spot things when they go wrong.
‘The trouble for Bruno is he is playing in a more advanced position because we have no centre forward. He’s constantly looking over his shoulder and not necessarily expending his energy in the right way.
‘He gets how important it is to keep the group together. I know he has been instrumental as captain in organising bonding dinners and days out. That helps, but he also must know the importance of keeping things in the dressing room.’
With the Como controversy behind him, Fernandes is said to have returned to being the best version of himself during what has been a turbulent week for everyone at United.
Stung by the reaction from fans on Sunday, he has taken what is described as ‘direct action’ to lift the rest of the players and confront the crisis, as a captain should. Now another test of his leadership awaits at Stamford Bridge.
