Carrick: I don't need assurances, Fernandes stays Man Utd captain

Update (30 Oct): Fernandes and Kobbie Mainoo are both in the 22-man squad that travelled to London on Friday. Šeško isn't. Full team news is in our Chelsea vs Man Utd preview.

Michael Carrick says he doesn't need any assurances about his future at Manchester United. He also says there's "no decision to be made" on whether Bruno Fernandes stays captain, four days after leaving him on the bench for the whole of a 3-0 home defeat.

Both answers were short. Together they tell you how Carrick plans to survive the next eight days: say little, back the senior players, and hope Stamford Bridge does the talking.

What Carrick said

These are the key lines from Thursday's press conference, in the order he said them, as published by BBC Sport.

On Benjamin Šeško, out for "a long period of time":

"We have to go through the healing process to see how it reacts. Unfortunately, Benjamin has had to go through this again and to not have him available is obviously a blow."

On how he's felt since Bournemouth:

"Disappointment from the game and the result, that is clear. Dealing with that and what we could have done better, what could we improve on and then getting back to training with the players, that has been my main focus, on how can we make the difference."

On whether he'd had reassurances from the hierarchy:

"I don't need any assurances from anyone. I totally get the position and the responsibilities and what comes with that."

On whether he's surprised to still be in the job: "No, I am here to do my job and do my job for the team."

On the noise around him:

"I see things I need to see, I don't look for it. It doesn't help in any way. I care what the supporters think and what it feels like in the stadium. I genuinely don't take any notice of anything else. I know this job and what it brings."

On his talks with Fernandes:

"We're clear with the situation of the team and as a football club at the moment. 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. He's fully committed to this football club and 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 on the captaincy for Saturday: "There is no decision to be made on that."

The contradiction in the Fernandes answer

Here's what doesn't quite add up. After the 4-1 defeat at Como, Fernandes said publicly that the staff had chosen not to press man-to-man. Four days later he spent 90 minutes on the bench against Bournemouth while Harry Maguire wore the armband. Now he's "led the team so well for many a game and many a year".

You can't drop a player for a game that matters and then say nothing has changed. Either the Bournemouth bench was a punishment, in which case it's over, or it was a selection call, in which case it was a bad one. United were three down and Fernandes never came on.

The numbers back Carrick's second answer, not his first. Since his first game in January, Fernandes has more assists (14) and more chances created (96) than anyone in Europe's big five leagues. We made the case for building around him, not benching him, in our piece on his form before Leeds.

The Guardian reported on Wednesday that Fernandes gave assurances in their talks that he's fully committed, and is expected to start at Stamford Bridge. Whether he apologised hasn't been made public.

Why Carrick is still here

The decision to keep Carrick was taken earlier this week. United's hierarchy explored replacing him, with Eddie Howe and Julian Nagelsmann both considered. Director of football Jason Wilcox decided Carrick should be given more time, and that time also gives Wilcox the chance to line up a successor if needed. We've looked at the Howe link on its own.

That's the awkward reality behind "I don't need any assurances". He hasn't been given any, not really. He's been given a run of fixtures.

His record explains why. United haven't won in eight matches in all competitions. They're 16th with seven points from eight league games, a point above the relegation zone, and out of the Carabao Cup. The dressing room is still publicly behind him. Youri Tielemans was the latest to say so, as we covered in Tielemans backing Carrick.

The eight days that decide it

• Chelsea (away), Saturday 31 October, 12:30 GMT
• Roma (home, Champions League), Tuesday 3 November, 20:00 GMT
• Aston Villa (home), Sunday 8 November, 16:30 GMT

Then it's the international break, the natural point for any club to make a change.

Carrick's tone on Thursday was that of a manager who knows words won't save him. He's right. Restoring Fernandes was the correct call and the obvious one. Starting him at Stamford Bridge, with runners around him, is the first selection of this week that will actually be judged. Four points from these three games and he goes into the break with an argument. Fewer than that, and "no assurances" will stop being his choice of words and become his situation.

Picture: Michael Carrick in April 2025, then Middlesbrough head coach, by Timmy96 via Wikimedia Commons, released into the public domain under CC0 1.0. Cropped to 16:9.