LONDON (AP) — Bruno Fernandes was restored to Manchester United's team for the Premier League match at Chelsea on Saturday, a week after being dropped following criticism of manager Michael Carrick's tactics.
The Portugal star was selected for the game at Stamford Bridge and retained the captaincy, which Carrick confirmed in his pre-match news conference Thursday while also saying Fernandes was "fully committed" to United.
Fernandes — the player of the year in English soccer last season — was named among the replacements for the embarrassing 3-0 home loss to Bournemouth on Sunday, days after critical comments about how Carrick set up the team in a 4-1 loss to Como in the Champions League.
Fernandes never made it onto the field despite being sent out to warm up and Carrick making four second-half substitutions.
"He cares deeply about this football club and the team and he's desperate to do well," Carrick said about Fernandes on Thursday, "so we will lead that together."
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