Carrick confirms Fernandes fitness issue as Mainoo and Shaw miss Madrid trip

Michael Carrick has confirmed that Bruno Fernandes played through a fitness problem, while Manchester United travelled to Madrid without Kobbie Mainoo and Luke Shaw after the pair picked up knocks against Tottenham. According to reporting by the Guardian, Carrick said Fernandes was largely over his issue and had trained well, offering a more positive assessment of the captain's condition.

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Carrick did not identify the nature of Fernandes' problem in the comments reported by the newspaper. He described it as manageable and said the midfielder had been able to continue playing. The United manager also defended his captain's performances, pointing to his previous contributions and expressing confidence that he would recover his form. No specific recovery timetable for Mainoo or Shaw was given in the report.

The fitness update came as Carrick addressed a difficult domestic start. United have collected six Premier League points in their worst opening to a league campaign since 1986-87, the Guardian reported. They have also been eliminated from the Carabao Cup by Brighton at Old Trafford. Their weekend draw with Tottenham was followed by the absence of two players from the travelling group.

Carrick acknowledged that both results and performances had fallen short of expectations, but rejected the idea that the team's difficulties required wholesale change. He said United had expected more from the start of the season and needed to respond to their current position while continuing the work of developing the team. He described overcoming difficult periods as part of that process.

Asked about pressure, Carrick distinguished the squad's own ambitions from external criticism. He said he did not feel pressure from outside the club and remained confident in the players, citing their commitment and the strength of the group. He also recognised supporters' desire for improved results and said the team needed to give them something in return for their backing.

United's European campaign has provided a contrast to their domestic difficulties: they won their Champions League opener against Sabah last month. Carrick's latest comments nevertheless centred on accepting the team's present situation and improving it, alongside his assurance that Fernandes was in good shape after playing with a problem.