Carrick says Fernandes remains captain and will return to squad

Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes will remain in the role and return to the squad for Saturday’s Premier League match at Chelsea, manager Michael Carrick said, following the midfielder’s omission from the starting lineup against Bournemouth. Carrick said Fernandes was important to the team, fully committed to the club and would continue to lead it. He confirmed the captain would be available for the trip to Stamford Bridge but did not say whether he would start. The decision follows a reported face-to-face meeting between Carrick and Fernandes on Tuesday, October 27, to discuss tensions between them. The account of the meeting has been attributed to Sky Sports News. Its private details have not been established, including whether Fernandes apologized for his earlier comments. Fernandes was left on the bench for the full match against Bournemouth on October 25, a 3-0 defeat at Old Trafford. Carrick said the selection was based on footballing reasons. The omission came after Fernandes criticized the team’s tactics following its 4-1 Champions League loss to Como on October 21. The Bournemouth result extended United’s winless run to eight matches across all competitions....