Bruno Fernandes weas benched by Michael Carrick for last weekend's 3-0 loss to Bournemouth, following a public criticism of Michael Carrick's tactics earlier in the week
Bruno Fernandes speaks with Michael Carrick
Bruno Fernandes and Michael Carrick have cleared the air(Image: Martin Rickett/Press Association)
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Bruno Fernandes has broken his silence on social media for the first time since his falling out with Michael Carrick last week. The Portuguese playmaker was part and parcel of Manchester United's Champions League squad which lost 4-1 to Como, visibly frustrated as he shook his head after being swapped out for Joshua Zirkzee in the second-half.
In the aftermath, Fernandes publicly criticised Carrick's system, with the Englishman firing back at the club captain by suggesting that his tactics only work when players run enough. Fernandes found himself demoted to the bench for Sunday's outing with Bournemouth at Old Trafford, and didn't see a minute of action during the 3-0 loss.
However, Carrick and Fernandes have since held talks this week to clear the air ahead of Saturday's 12.30pm kick-off against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge - a game, in which, many expect Fernandes to feature from the outset and throughout.
Speaking in the aftermath of their discussion, Carrick told the media: "Listen, we're clear with the situation of the team, and as a football club at the moment. As I've just said, he's an important player for this group.
"He has been and he will be. Between us, we've got to make a difference and we've got to push things in a good direction.
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"He's fully committed to this football club, he's fully committed to making things better. It doesn't change for me. He's the one that's kind of led the team so well for many a game and many a year, and he'll continue to do that."
And now, Fernandes has broken his silence on social media. Taking to Instagram on Friday afternoon, the 32-year-old uploaded a pre-match poster to the stories section of his account, featuring him running on the pitch and his signature on the right.
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It comes as Carrick will need his best players available for Saturday's clash, considering the pressure he is currently under with the club. At the time of writing, United sit 16th on the Premier League table, with just one win to show from their opening eight matches.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe is expected to watch the game in person at Stamford Bridge, with limited time remaining for Carrick to reverse fortunes. Speaking about the task at hand, Carrick said: "The outside is not anything for me to focus on.
"I know what we can affect, I know what we need to improve. I know as a group, leading a group, what help they need a little bit as well, and a bit of guidance at certain times, and dealing with certain things.
A match poster for Chelsea vs Manchester United
Bruno Fernandes shared a match poster to his Instagram story(Image: Bruno Fernandes / Instagram)
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"That's part of my direct role is them, who I care about and can affect the most directly. Of course we spoke.
"We have meetings as we do every single week, but some of the meetings go in different ways depending on results and the situation and the feeling. I have to say, the boys are hungry. We're hurting because we haven't won enough football games, but there's an intensity, there's a bit of an edge, there's a disappointment, there's a hunger to do better, for sure."