Danny Murphy is wrong about 'massive' Bruno Fernandes development, Man United have made right call

Carrick's decision to bench Fernandes after his public criticism was justified and has resolved the situation; the pair held clear-the-air talks and Fernandes is set to return against Chelsea.

Danny Murphy criticised Michael Carrick for how he handled Bruno Fernandes after the Portuguese captain publicly questioned United's tactics following the 4-1 Champions League defeat to Como. Fernandes was benched for the Bournemouth match and remained unused despite United going 2-0 down, prompting Murphy to argue on talkSPORT that the punishment was excessive.

Carrick's approach has been widely backed by United fans, who chanted in his support after Bournemouth while players were booed off. The manager was justified in responding to Fernandes undermining his leadership, and the decision to leave him on the bench without bringing him on sent a clear message without escalating the situation further. Fernandes had also failed to register a goal contribution in his previous seven appearances, making the drop defensible on form grounds.

Sources have now revealed that Fernandes and Carrick held successful clear-the-air talks this week. The captain has shown his best form in training since being dropped and is expected to return to the starting eleven for Saturday's trip to Chelsea, suggesting the incident is resolved.