Michael Carrick has dropped Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes for today's clash with Bournemouth at Old Trafford, the eighth round of the Premier League. The decision lands just days after the Portugal international publicly questioned the team's tactical approach.
Never before has Carrick named a Premier League starting line-up without Fernandes since taking charge last January. It is only the sixth time in the player's career that he begins a league match on the substitutes' bench, according to the "Opta" statistics network.
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Fernandes had taken aim at the team's style after the 4-1 defeat to Italy's Como in the Champions League. He pointed out that Manchester United did not press their opponents man-to-man, instead dropping back to wait for the ball, a habit that handed Como more space and more confidence.
The numbers lay bare just how central Fernandes is to Carrick's attack. He has provided 14 assists and created 96 chances since the English coach's first match in January, more than any other player across Europe's five major leagues in that span.
Carrick had responded to the Como loss with a pointed message of his own. Executing the tactical plan demands players run and move in both directions, he insisted, and United will not win unless every one of them commits to it.