Soccer-Manchester United midfielder Fernandes to retain captaincy, says Carrick

Soccer Football - Premier League - Everton v Manchester United - Hill Dickinson Stadium, Liverpool, Britain - September 6, 2026 Manchester United manager Michael Carrick speaks to Bruno Fernandes Action Images via Reuters/Jason Cairnduff

Oct 29 (Reuters) - Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes ⁠is "fully committed" to the club and will remain captain, manager Michael Carrick said on Thursday ⁠ahead of Saturday's Premier League game at Chelsea.

Carrick left the Portugal international out of ‌the team for Sunday's 3-0 home league loss to Bournemouth. The decision came after the club captain publicly criticised United's tactics following their 4-1 Champions League defeat by Como.

"It was a decision based on what we felt was right for the ​game. That's it," Carrick told reporters on Thursday regarding the decision ⁠to leave Fernandes on the bench ⁠on Sunday.

"Bruno is fully committed to this football club and there are absolutely no issues. We move ⁠forward, ‌make decisions as we go and focus on Saturday's game.

"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," added Carrick, saying the disagreement with 32-year-old Fernandes ​had been resolved after clear-the-air ‌talks.

Carrick also dismissed suggestions he needed assurances over his future after Sunday's defeat extended United's ⁠winless run to ​eight matches in all competitions, leaving them 16th in the Premier League table and one point above the relegation zone.

Senior club officials held talks on Monday amid speculation over Carrick's position, but no announcement followed and the ⁠former United midfielder has continued in his role.

"I totally get ​the position," Carrick, 45, said. "I understand the job, I understand the responsibilities, I understand what comes with that so I really don't need any assurances from anyone in that regard."

Former United captainGary Neville, however, questioned the ⁠club's decision to retain Carrick, arguing that replacing a struggling manager can sometimes be in both the club's and the coach's best interests.

"I think staying with him is a result of the lack of planning, the lack of available options and the lack of decision-making around the people who might be ​available," Neville said on the Stick to Football podcast.

"Sometimes a manager ⁠needs sacking for their own good. I needed sacking at Valencia. I was happy they put me out ​of my misery."

Carrick revived United's fortunes after replacing Ruben Amorim ‌in January and led the club to a third-place ​finish last season. However, United have yet to win a Premier League match since beating promoted Ipswich Town on August30.

(Reporting by Paras J. Haji in Bengaluru; Editing by Ken Ferris)

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足球 - 英超联赛 - 埃弗顿对阵曼联 - 英国利物浦希尔·迪金森球场 - 2026年9月6日 曼联主教练迈克尔·卡里克与布鲁诺·费尔南德斯交谈 图片来源：路透社/杰森·凯恩达夫

10 月 29 日（路透社）——曼联主教练迈克尔·卡里克周四表示，曼联球员布鲁诺·费尔南德斯“完全忠于”俱乐部，并将继续担任队长。此前，曼联将于周六客场挑战切尔西。

卡里克将这位葡萄牙国脚排除在周日主场0-3负于伯恩茅斯的联赛阵容之外。此前，这位队长曾公开批评曼联在欧冠1-4负于科莫后的战术。

“我们做出这个决定是基于我们认为对比赛最有利的考量。就是这样。”卡里克周四在谈到周日让费尔南德斯坐在替补席上的决定时告诉记者。

“布鲁诺对这家足球俱乐部忠心耿耿，绝对没有任何问题。我们继续前进，边走边做决定，专注于周六的比赛。”

卡里克补充道：“他多年来一直是球队的优秀领导者，而且他会继续这样做。”他还表示，与32岁的费尔南德斯之间的分歧在经过坦诚的谈话后已经解决。

卡里克还驳斥了有关他需要得到未来保障的说法。周日的失利使曼联在各项赛事中连续八场不胜，目前他们在英超积分榜上排名第16位，仅比降级区高出1分。

周一，俱乐部高层官员就卡里克的去留问题进行了会谈，但随后并未发布任何声明，这位前曼联中场球员继续担任原职。

“我完全理解这个职位，”45岁的卡里克说。“我了解这份工作，我了解其中的责任，我了解随之而来的一切，所以在这方面我真的不需要任何人给我任何保证。”

然而，前曼联队长加里·内维尔对俱乐部留住卡里克的决定提出了质疑，他认为，更换一位执教不力的主教练有时对俱乐部和教练来说都是最好的选择。

内维尔在“坚持足球”播客节目中表示：“我认为继续和他合作是由于缺乏计划、缺乏可行的选择以及对可能可用的人员缺乏决策所致。”

“有时候，教练被解雇对他们自己有好处。我在瓦伦西亚就应该被解雇。他们让我摆脱痛苦，我很高兴。”

卡里克在1月份接替鲁本·阿莫林后，扭转了曼联的颓势，并带领球队在上赛季取得了联赛第三名的好成绩。然而，自8月30日击败升班马伊普斯维奇以来，曼联就再未尝胜绩。

（Paras J. Haji在班加罗尔报道；Ken Ferris编辑）

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