Carrick: There’s a lot to credit Fernandes for
Michael Carrick has underlined that Manchester United have a lot to credit Bruno Fernandes for, as the skipper celebrates the sixth anniversary of his signing.
Fernandes’s move to United from Sporting was confirmed on this day in 2020, and Carrick was asked about their working relationship during Friday’s pre-match press conference.
Michael was, of course, part of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s coaching team when Bruno first arrived in Manchester and has resumed his partnership with the Reds’ captain since returning to the club as head coach, earlier this month.
Press conference v Fulham
PRESS CONFERENCE | Michael Carrick discusses the latest on injuries, our squad, transfers and facing Fulham…
“He had a huge impact straight away in so many ways. You could see the passion, you could see how much he wanted to do well. Straight away, you saw the quality and that’s carried on all the way through.
“His consistency of performances, his level of performances, his willingness to always put himself out there and physically being able to do it, there’s a lot to credit him for in that respect.
“We all want to win things, we all want to get better, we want to improve as a team, we want to be successful – that’s something we want to work towards together. But Bruno’s been fantastic since I’ve been here, he was fantastic when I was here before.
“So, I’ve got nothing but good things to say about him.”
Fernandes passed the 300-appearance and 100-goal marks for the club earlier this season and continues to be a highly influential figure in the dressing room, widely regarded by fans as one of the best signings of the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era.
Our no.8 has always shown commitment to the United cause and, while his future beyond this season is a talking point in the media, Carrick says his captain’s focus remains firmly on helping the Reds to prolong a good recent spell, as Fulham visit in the Premier League on Sunday.
“Let’s not get too far ahead [on Bruno’s future],” Carrick added, when asked with the next question about what lies ahead for Fernandes.
“We’re working towards this game and talking about the window now, closing in a few days, that’s [the window] on the agenda a little bit.
“But my main agenda is getting through the game on Sunday and Bruno is fully committed. There’s no issues at all.
“Things further down the line [will be] addressed towards the end of the season or whatever, but everything is positive at the moment. There’s no reason to be any other way.”