Michael Carrick suffered the first defeat of his tenure as caretaker head coach of Manchester United on Wednesday as his side lost 2-1 against Newcastle United.
The former England midfielder had overseen six wins and a draw from his first seven matches in charge, having succeeded interim head coach Darren Fletcher following the sacking of Ruben Amorim in January.
Goals from Anthony Gordon and William Oscula – either side of Casemiro’s equaliser – earned the Magpies a hugely important win at St. James’ Park, inflicting a blow in the Red Devils’ hopes of qualifying for the Champions League next term.
United remain third in the Premier League table, but now sit just three points clear of fifth-placed Chelsea.
Carrick’s side have a while to prepare for their next match – against Aston Villa on March 15 – as they are not in the FA Cup which returns on Friday with the fifth round taking place.
In the meantime, it has emerged that the Manchester giants are plotting talks over a new contract with one of their most important players.
As per Football Insider, Manchester United are planning to begin talks with captain Bruno Fernandes about a new deal for the player.
Fernandes is widely regarded as one of the best players in the Premier League (Photo: Every Second Media/Alamy)
Fernandes joined United from Portuguese side Sporting CP back in 2020 and has since established himself not only as an instrumental player for the club, but also as one of the best players in the Premier League.
The Portugal international’s contract with United is set to run until the end of the 2026/27 campaign, however United are expected to hold off starting talks about a new deal until after the World Cup in the United States this summer.
It is claimed that United will be well placed to persuade Fernandes to sign a new deal with the club if they secure qualification for next season’s Champions League.
Since joining United in 2020, Fernandes has scored 105 goals and provided 101 assists in 318 games for the club across all competitions.