Bruno Fernandes keeps Manchester United captaincy after Como criticism

Bruno Fernandes will remain Manchester United's captain, and he will not be disciplined for criticising head coach Michael Carrick. BBC Sport reported the decision, which closes a row that started in Italy after a bad night for the club.

United lost 4-1 to Como in the Champions League, the European competition that brings together top clubs from across the continent. The result kept alive a winless run that has been hard for the club's supporters to watch. Fernandes was taken off by Joshua Zirkzee midway through the second half.

Fernandes then spoke to the press. He did ten post-match interviews in Como, and in them he criticised Carrick's tactics. He said it was up to Carrick and his backroom team, the coaching staff who plan training and matches, to spot problems and fix them, not the players. Those words landed hard, and they came from the club's captain.

Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher, now a television pundit, called Fernandes "a disgrace" for what he said. Carrick, for his part, questioned his players after the defeat. He also apologised to the 700 or so United fans who had travelled to Italy, and he faced questions about his own future.

The row has a wider backdrop. Eight days before Fernandes spoke, defender Lisandro Martinez had criticised Jason Wilcox, the club's director of football, who oversees transfers and recruitment, and the way United had gone about their summer signings. So this is the second public complaint from inside the squad in little more than a week.

Fernandes has been a central figure at Old Trafford for years. He was named club captain in 2023, and in September 2025 he passed 100 goals for the club. Wilcox marked that milestone by presenting him with framed artwork, a small gesture that now looks a long way off.

United's next match is at home. They face Bournemouth at Old Trafford on Sunday in the Premier League, the top division in English football. Carrick will speak to reporters before that game at 13:30 BST on Friday, and he will be asked about his captain, his players and the team's form.

For supporters, the picture is simple enough. The club has backed its captain, and it has not punished him. What happens next will depend on results, and on whether the calm lasts once the team is back on the pitch.