Ashley Young teases Bruno Fernandes after seeing what he did before the Man Utd game started
Ashley Young didn’t hold back when he saw Bruno Fernandes walking into Old Trafford before Manchester United’s Premier League game against Bournemouth. Fernandes, the club captain, had been left out of the starting lineup by coach Michael Carrick and was set to begin on the bench.
Carrick spoke about Fernandes’ absence before the match but didn’t say if it was related to the midfielder’s recent criticism of his tactics after United’s 4-1 loss to Como. Young, a former United left-back and brief captain, shared his thoughts after watching footage of Fernandes entering the stadium with his hood up.
Sky Sports showed Fernandes arriving in his club tracksuit, hood covering his head. While it could have been because of the bad weather from Storm Boelo, Young felt the body language wasn’t right for a club captain who was dropped from the team.
Young said, “Being dropped happens to every player. We’ve all been there. But you want to see a strong reaction. He looked upset and was showing it, but that’s not what you want from a Manchester United captain. You want to see someone who takes it in stride and focuses on proving themselves when they get the chance. He could say what he said to Carrick, but now he needs to show everyone what he’s made of.”
This isn’t an easy situation for Carrick, who doesn’t have many options when it comes to replacing Fernandes. He kept Mason Mount in midfield after the Como game, swapped Matheus Cunha for Carlos Baleba, and brought in Bryan Mbeumo and Amad Diallo up front. Notably, striker Joshua Zirkzee, who scored in the Champions League recently, didn’t make the starting lineup and will be on the bench with Fernandes and others.
For this match, the captain’s armband was given to Harry Maguire, who led the team out at Old Trafford against Bournemouth.