Michael Carrick has thrown his backing behind Manchester United’s ambitious ‘Project 150’ Premier League plans — and Jaap Stam’s call around Bruno Fernandes could be the answer.
Speaking ahead of Manchester United’s 3-1 win over Aston Villa, Michael Carrick shared his powerful verdict on the Red Devils challenging for the league title again.
The 44-year-old United interim boss knows what it takes to win the Premier League trophy after being part of the last squad to lift it under Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013.
The Ineos regime has outlined the Red Devils’ bid to capture the Premier League title in 2018 as part of ‘Project 150’ — and Bruno Fernandes must be part of it, too.
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Bruno Fernandes smiles during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Aston Villa at Old Trafford in 2026 in Manchester, England.
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Jaap Stam’s Premier League title challenge involving Bruno Fernandes is spot on after Michael Carrick’s Man Utd admission
“It’s tough to win the Premier League and we understand that, but certainly, we’re definitely working towards it,” Michael Carrick said at his pre-match press conference last week, as per Manchester United’s official website.
“We feel that’s where we want to be. We have been in the past and we want to get there again, but it’s certainly just not straightforward and I think we all understand that. But we’re certainly hungry to do it, yeah.”
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Manchester United are 16 points behind Premier League leaders Arsenal with only eight league matches remaining in the 2025-26 campaign at Old Trafford.
The Red Devils have impressively climbed to third place in the Premier League table as a result of Carrick’s scintillating run as interim head coach since January.
Bruno Fernandes has enjoyed a superb spell of form under Carrick and the Man Utd captain’s two assists against Aston Villa were enough to spark Jaap Stam’s prediction.
“You need to have these players in your team otherwise you’re never going to make that next step to win the title,” Stam said on Viaplay after Sunday’s 3-1 win, as per the Metro.
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What does Bruno Fernandes have to do in 2026 to challenge for the Ballon d’Or?
Win the World Cup? Win the Premier League POTY? Break the assist record?
Bruno Fernandes Ballon d'Or Talking points graphic.
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Jaap Stam’s praise for the ‘extraordinary’ Bruno Fernandes shows why he is essential for Man Utd’s Premier League title ambitions
United legend Stam labelled Fernandes as “extraordinary” after the 31-year-old Portuguese talisman’s masterclass display against Villa at Old Trafford on Sunday.
Fernandes has 16 Premier League assists to his name in 27 matches and is only four away from equalling the assist record — currently set at 20 — in a single season.
Not only is there a real possibility that Fernandes could break the record held by Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne, but he is irreplaceable for Man Utd right now.
“He is extraordinary, putting in players in front of goal and you need to have these players,” Stam added.
“We have a lot of discussions about Bruno and what he is and his mentality and how he can react to his teammates at times.
“But when you see his quality on the ball and putting players in front of goal, it’s extraordinary.”
Carrick could not be more right that it is incredibly “tough” to capture the Premier League in the modern format, especially with all of the different variables in play.
However, if the Red Devils’ hopes are to secure the trophy to mark the 150th anniversary of Man Utd in 2028, it won’t be done without Fernandes’ influence.
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