Two days after Manchester United's captain was left on the bench and their head coach was widely expected to be sacked, the two men sat down together. Michael Carrick and Bruno Fernandes held clear-the-air talks at the training ground on Tuesday, with a trip to Chelsea on Saturday now in sight.
What Led to the Meeting
The row goes back to the 4-1 defeat by Como in the Champions League. Fernandes, 32, criticised Carrick's tactics afterwards, and the head coach responded by dropping him to the bench for Sunday's game against Bournemouth. He did not come on, and United lost 3-0. BBC Sport has been told the conversation on Tuesday was private and aimed at airing issues. It is unclear whether Fernandes apologised for what he said.
Fernandes has been club captain since 2023, which makes a public disagreement with the manager awkward for everybody. Settling it behind closed doors before the Chelsea trip at 12:30 GMT on Saturday was always the sensible route, and he could return to the starting line-up.
A Board That Has Chosen to Wait
Carrick, 45, was expected to lose his job after the Bournemouth game. Instead the board decided he should get the chance to turn things around, even with United sitting 16th and having won only one of their eight Premier League matches this season. The thinking at the top of the club, according to BBC Sport, is that the problem is not all his. Senior figures believe the squad is good enough to qualify for the Champions League and is underperforming badly, so the players should take their share of the blame. One player told the BBC the feeling is that everybody wants to put it right.
There was one piece of good news on Wednesday. Kobbie Mainoo is back in training after a fortnight out with an injury, which gives Carrick another midfield option.
The Shortlist in the Background
None of this means the pressure has gone. Sources have told BBC Sport that United have shortlisted two names as possible replacements: former Newcastle manager Eddie Howe and the ex-Germany and Bayern Munich head coach Julian Nagelsmann. Choosing Howe would bring a multi-million-pound compensation claim from Newcastle. Nagelsmann is a free agent, so the cost of hiring him would be lower.
That leaves Carrick with a narrow window. A decent performance at Stamford Bridge, with his captain back on side, would ease the heat. Another heavy defeat would make the board's patience very hard to defend. Saturday lunchtime has become the most important fixture of his short reign.
Match context: Chelsea v Manchester United, Saturday, 12:30 GMT. United are 16th in the Premier League with one win in eight. Source reporting: BBC Sport and Goal.
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