Manchester United suffered a humiliating 3-0 defeat to Bournemouth at Old Trafford in the Premier League on Sunday.
Goals from Rayan, Marcus Tavernier and Evanilson secured a historic win for the Cherries on the famous turf.
However, one of the biggest talking points emerged before kick-off, when head coach Michael Carrick made the bold decision to drop club captain Bruno Fernandes to the bench.
The Portuguese midfielder remained among the substitutes throughout the contest and was never even sent out to warm up.
Former Liverpool defender and Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher believes Carrick deliberately left Fernandes on the bench to humiliate him.
He said (via Sky Sports): “I don’t think he was ever going to bring him on. It was a deliberate decision to leave him on the bench to try and almost embarrass him.”
When Bournemouth capitalised on Leny Yoro’s costly mistake to double their lead before half-time, many expected Fernandes to be introduced at the start of the second half in a desperate attempt to spark a comeback.
However, Carrick had other plans, replacing Youri Tielemans with Matheus Cunha and deploying the Brazilian in the number 10 role instead.
Even after Bournemouth made it 3-0, Fernandes remained on the bench, despite being one of the few players who might have offered United a spark of creativity and a glimmer of hope.
Instead, Carrick turned to Joshua Zirkzee before handing Shea Lacey an opportunity with just 12 minutes remaining.
Fernandes could potentially have made a difference, but Carrick appeared determined to send a firm message to the rest of the dressing room by refusing to turn to his captain.
The 32-year-old publicly questioned the tactics of the coaching staff after Como thrashed them 4-1.
Fernandes has enjoyed strong relationships with his previous managers, making the latest developments particularly intriguing.
However, his post-match comments following the Como defeat have raised questions about whether his relationship with Carrick is beginning to deteriorate.
With United suffering another damaging defeat, Carrick could now be relieved of his managerial duties following the Bournemouth loss.
Stats from Fotmob.com