Michael Carrick has made his position clear on Bruno Fernandes, confirming the midfielder will remain captain despite recent tension between the pair.

Fernandes, who has been United’s most influential creator, was left on the bench for the full 90 minutes against the Cherries. United then stretched their winless run to eight matches in all competitions, a sequence that has placed Carrick under growing pressure.

For now, though, the manager remains in charge and is preparing for Saturday’s meeting with Chelsea. Asked directly whether Fernandes would continue as skipper, Carrick gave a firm answer and made it plain that no change is planned.

“There is no decision to be made on [the captaincy],” Carrick said. “It will be Bruno. Listen, 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. 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.”

Carrick’s public support followed reports that the pair had held “clear the air” talks in an effort to reset their relationship. The hope inside the camp will be that Fernandes can now rediscover his form.

The 32-year-old enjoyed a record-breaking 2025-26 season, when he won the FWA Footballer of the Year, Premier League Player of the Season and PFA Players’ Player of the Year. This season has been far quieter. In 11 appearances, he has only four goals and one assist, with those contributions coming against Ipswich Town and Champions League debutants Sabah.

United travel to west London short of options. Carrick said on Thursday that Benjamin Šeško will miss a “longer period of time” because of a lingering shin injury, with reports suggesting he may be out until January. He joins Marcus Rashford, Luke Shaw, Patrick Dorgu and Manuel Ugarte on the sidelines, while Kobbie Mainoo has returned to training with the group after his spell out.

Chelsea’s Carabao Cup exit against Liverpool brought plenty of talking points, but one of the most notable came from a player who never stepped onto the pitch. Estêvão was named among the substitutes, yet his only involvement was a short warm-up, enough for a section of supporters to make their feelings known as concern over his place in the squad continues to build.

With January approaching, the questions around Estêvão are becoming harder to ignore. The Brazilian arrived with a big reputation, having made his Palmeiras debut at 16 and quickly earned a label that is often overused but, in his case, felt justified. He has long been viewed as one of the game’s most exciting prospects.

His natural position has always been on the right wing, whether at Palmeiras or during his time under former Chelsea bosses Enzo Maresca and Liam Rosenior. The issue this season is that the current structure does not favour that profile. Alonso’s 3-4-2-1 relies on wing-backs for width and two inside forwards behind the striker, leaving little room for a traditional winger to operate.

Pedro Neto has filled the right-sided role because of his work rate, while Estêvão himself has said he sees his future as a central attacking midfielder. Yet those two advanced midfield roles are occupied by the club’s key figures, which has left little opening for him. Even with Palmer suspended, the route into the starting line-up disappeared once Alonso moved away from a shape that used an attacking midfielder.

The result is a frustratingly thin return. Estêvão has managed only 172 minutes in all competitions so far, the same total he recorded for Brazil during the September-October international window.

The lack of game time has sparked obvious speculation, though there is no clear sign of a falling-out. After the Liverpool defeat, Alonso said: “He could be happier,” Alonso confessed after the Liverpool defeat. “He wants to play. I’m sure Estê will have his moment, it is my responsibility. We know the game in England is really intense, and you need to be up for it. Estê is in his second season. The season is going to be long.”

There are also clear concerns over his physical side, with Alonso seemingly placing more value on strength and intensity. For Chelsea, the problem is straightforward: a 19-year-old talent needs minutes to keep developing, but that opportunity is not arriving. Paris Saint-Germain have been linked, while any move would require Chelsea’s approval, as his contract runs until 2033.

Michael Carrick and Bruno Fernandes have reportedly put their differences aside after discussions aimed at clearing the air following Manchester United’s 3-0 defeat to Bournemouth.

The fallout from that result had been severe. Fernandes had already gone public with a striking criticism of the club’s tactical approach after a damaging night in northern Italy, while Lisandro Martínez had earlier taken aim at director of football Jason Wilcox. With United in a difficult moment, Sunday’s loss to Bournemouth had looked likely to bring Carrick’s spell to an end.

Instead, the club have opted to keep him in place for the Premier League meeting with Chelsea this Saturday.

According to The Guardian, that decision has been followed by a reconciliation between Carrick and Fernandes after talks at the club’s training ground on Tuesday. The Portugal international is said to have given “assurances that he is fully committed and intent on trying to turn the team’s season around,” before a full squad meeting in which his teammates “made the same vow.”

That should give the impression of a clean slate, but United’s problems are far from settled. Fernandes is expected to start against Chelsea as he attempts to end a poor spell of form. So far this season, he has managed only four goals and one assist, all of them arriving in home matches against Ipswich Town and Sabah FK.

United’s wider picture remains bleak. They sit 16th in the Premier League and 21st in the Champions League, and they have already gone out of the Carabao Cup after a shock collapse against Brighton & Hove Albion.

Pressure is increasing, and the boos after the Bournemouth defeat were aimed at the players rather than Carrick. Another setback against Chelsea could put the current regime in real danger.

Carrick will hope the latest round of soul-searching leads to a stronger response, and there is at least some indication that part of the dressing room remains aligned with him. “The feeling is that we all want to put it right. Players, staff, everyone,” one unnamed United player recently told BBC Sport.