Manchester United head coach Michael Carrick arrived at Carrington for training on Tuesday morning after the board decided to give him the chance to turn things around.
The Red Devils have not won any of their last eight games in all competitions and have lost their last two matches, conceding seven goals in the process.
Despite that dismal run of form, the club have opted not to part ways with the former Middlesbrough manager ahead of the trip to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea this weekend.
Carrick added more fuel to the fire over his job when he decided to drop club captain Bruno Fernandes to the bench for the clash with Bournemouth on Saturday.
Why Fernandes was rightly dropped by Carrick
United went on to lose 3-0 to Bournemouth and the decision to drop the Portugual international looked like a poor one with the benefit of hindsight, but they also failed to win any of the previous seven games with him in the line-up.
The 32-year-old attacking midfielder has not provided a goal or an assist for the club since he scored in a routine 4-0 win over Sabah in the Champions League in September.
He has gone seven matches without a goal or an assist in all competitions and was left on the bench for the entirety of the defeat to Bournemouth, which may have been a message from Carrick after the midfielder criticised his tactics against Como.
Fernandes came out and questioned the decision by the coaching staff to not go man-for-man against the Italian side in his post-match interview, instead of leaving it to be spoken about behind closed doors.
|
Bruno Fernandes in 26/27 Premier League |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Opposition |
Goals |
Assists |
|
Leeds |
0 |
0 |
|
Spurs |
0 |
0 |
|
Fulham |
0 |
0 |
|
Man City |
0 |
0 |
|
Everton |
0 |
0 |
|
Ipswich |
3 |
1 |
|
Hull |
0 |
0 |
It is also not a good look when a player struggling for form, having failed to record a goal contribution in six of his seven Premier League games, starts to publicly question the manager, and that is why he was rightly dropped from the team.
£60m Man Utd star will love big update on Bruno’s future
Now, the Portuguese attacking midfielder’s form and public comments may have contributed to the club making a plan to move on from him next year.
According to Football Insider, Manchester United are planning to cash in on the veteran midfielder in the summer transfer window at the end of the season.
The report claims that they are set to trigger the one-year extension option in his contract to avoid losing him on a free transfer, before selling him to an interested party.
It adds that Saudi Arabian clubs are expected to show interest in his services in January and next summer, which could open the door for him to seal an early exit from Old Trafford.
There is one player in particular within the Manchester United squad who will love this plan, and that is former Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount.
The Red Devils swooped to sign the England international from the Blues in the summer of 2023 for a fee of £60m, but he has had to play out of position far too often during his time in Manchester.
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Mason Mount’s Man Utd career |
|
|---|---|
|
Position |
Starts |
|
AM |
44 |
|
CM |
16 |
|
LW |
4 |
|
LM |
4 |
|
RW |
2 |
|
DM |
1 |
Mount has only started in his favoured position 44 times in all competitions in over three years with the club, starting 27 matches on the wing or deeper in midfield.
The Englishman has only scored one goal and provided one assist in those 27 games out of position, whilst he has racked up seven goals in 44 games as a number ten.
During his time with Chelsea, though, Mount started 124 matches as an attacking midfielder and produced a return of 24 goals and 28 assists for his side, which is what earned him a big-money move to Old Trafford in the first place.
Fernandes’ presence has limited his game time in his preferred role, though, as the captain has dominated that area of the pitch throughout his time at the club, which is why his exit could open the door for Mount to play more games in his natural position.
The 27-year-old playmaker has not made a success of his career with United yet, but his form for Chelsea as a number ten suggests that he could thrive for the club if he is given a run of games as an attacking midfielder in the wake of Fernandes’ move away.
Therefore, the £60m-rated midfielder will love the plan by the club to move on from the skipper in one of the next two transfer windows, as it could be the action that ignites his career at Old Trafford.
