Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes appeared to be on the verge of tears as he embraced the travelling faithful following his side’s latest defeat.
Fernandes returned to the United side after being dropped for their loss against Bournemouth last week, when he was an unused substitute.
The decision from Michael Carrick came after his skipper had criticised Carrick’s tactics in the 4-1 Champions League defeat by Como, leading to uncertainty around the duo’s relationship.
In the week, however, they held crisis talks to fix their relationship, and Fernandes was back in the team – and playing 90 minutes – against Chelsea on Saturday.
Yet he was unable to turn around his side’s fortunes, with United falling to a 2-0 defeat, and the club have now gone nine games in all competitions without a win.
And he appeared to be in a battle to hold back the tears as United’s players headed over to the away end at full-time, showing how much the team’s poor form is affecting him.
Bruno Fernandes appeared to be fighting back the tears following Manchester United’s defeat by Chelsea
Carrick has made a habit of applauding the fans first after the game, and was cheered off following the Bournemouth defeat before those in attendance turned on the players.
On this occasion, Carrick again walked down the tunnel without his players, but the team were in fact cheered.
Fernandes was stood alone, and repeatedly wiped his face as he took in the situation.
‘He’s a big player, Bruno,’ Carrick said after the game. ‘He offers us so much, you know, with his experience.
‘He’s been through a lot here and achieved a lot and shown what he can bring to the team.
‘So he’s an important part of the team for us and I think we’ve got a good balance today. We’ve got a good team and the boys are looking forward to it.’