Bruno Fernandes launched into an adrenaline-fuelled, X-rated rant after Man United‘s stunning comeback win over Roma on Tuesday night.
Having been at the centre of the storm surrounding the club’s abysmal form and his undermining of manager Michael Carrick, Fernandes offered contrition for publicly criticising tactics but denied it was the reason he was dropped last week.
The club captain was benched by Carrick for United’s 3-0 defeat by Bournemouth before being reintegrated against Chelsea and Roma, winning Man of the Match and scoring against the Italians.
Amazon Prime presenter Gabby Logan was forced to apologise for Fernandes’ bad language after he let the emotion pour out of him in the post-match interview.
The stirring 3-2 comeback at Old Trafford on Tuesday night was the jumping-off point for Fernandes to unburden himself, saying: ‘We don’t need to save anyone’s job.
‘The club needed that win. The players needed that win. It is something we needed as a group of players and staff.
‘We have been working so hard to get out of this situation together. It has been tough. There has been a lot of speculation in the media.
Bruno Fernandes gave a passionate interview after starring in Man United’s 3-2 win
‘A lot of lies around many things that have happened at this club, between me and the manager, like that we have cleared the air. Nothing like that happened.
‘The manager took a decision of making myself on the bench because I wasn’t performing. And that’s fair.
‘Everyone felt like that was a punishment for the words that I had [after Como]. And if it was, it was right.
‘The manager makes the decisions. I have to accept it. I have to go forward with that. It doesn’t change the belief I have in the manager, the staff and every player at this club.
‘And it doesn’t change my aim to win every f***ing game that I have ahead of me.’
Carrick was given a stay of execution by club bosses at United after losing against Bournemouth when he seemed destined to be sacked.
Defeat at Chelsea appeared to push him closer to the exit door but Fernandes and Co fought back from 2-0 down on Tuesday night to give their boss and a beleaguered fanbase a much-needed lift.
Fernandes, along with Lisandro Martinez, had both publicly criticised different aspects of the club, with the Argentine targeting Jason Wilcox and Fernandes making disparaging comments about Carrick’s tactics.
Michael Carrick and Fernandes embraced after the Portuguese came off at Old Trafford
Fernandes was overcome with emotion after United sealed the memorable comeback
His post-Como interview was widely condemned by fans and pundits alike, with Garry Neville lamenting: ‘If that’s your captain saying that, imagine what they’re saying in the dressing room behind closed doors when no one’s listening. That’s horrific.’
He also told Fernandes to ‘read the room’ and accused him of being an ‘excuse merchant’ on his podcast.
‘He’s gone and basically thrown his manager under the bus the week after [Lisandro] Martinez did the same,’ he said.
‘So get in your box. You know where you stand. Michael Carrick’s won things for the football club on a constant basis, and proven that he can have the humility, the resilience. And Bruno has got that. Bruno has delivered for Manchester United in more ways than any other player in the last 13 years.
‘He’s massively talented but he let himself down this week. He didn’t need to do that because he’s basically stuck the knife into his manager.’
Fernandes and the United players were booed by the United fans after the Bournemouth debacle, while Carrick was given a warm reception, clearly indicating where the supporter sentiment fell.
But the mood was altogether different on Tuesday night. Roma raced to a 2-0 lead in what appeared to be another United evening of despair.
Then Fernandes netted a re-taken penalty before two late Matheus Cunha goals snatched a crucial victory.
Afterwards, Carrick reflected: ‘This place does it (inspires comebacks). No matter what situation you’re in, how tough it can seem, the supporters are desperate to get behind you and we gave them something to go on.
Carrick’s job was hanging by a thread but he has given himself some breathing room
‘I’m proud of everyone pulling through in a tough situation. I don’t like talking to the lads too much about the history of this place, but it’s magical. There’s something when we have these nights and we do it the hard way, and one moment can flip the whole feeling.
‘It’s one win so we’re not getting too carried away, but it was an important one for us.’
When asked about his future at the club, he added: ‘I don’t have a crystal ball to know what happens next.
‘We move on to the weekend, we’ve got a really important game here against Aston Villa, which we need to prepare for right.’
Youri Tielemans played a part in the sensational turnaround after coming on as a substitute for Carlos Baleba when United’s £70million summer signing pulled his right hamstring at the start of the second half.
Tielemans said of Carrick: ‘There has been a lot of pressure on him and that’s how we repay him, with a comeback like this. Big character, big fight.’
Asked if the victory might save the head coach’s job, the Belgian replied: ‘That’s a different question. The only thing we can do is stick behind him, fight for him and fight for the club.
‘Let’s hope this is a good turnaround for us and we can build on this.’
