Carrick to be in charge of United for the Bournemouth match

Manchester United manager Michael Carrick will be in charge of the team for the Premier League match against Bournemouth on Sunday. However, concern is growing in the club's hierarchy over the recent poor run of form. United have not won in their last seven matches.

Inside and outside Old Trafford, Sunday's game is thought to be potentially decisive for Carrick's future. After losing 4-1 to Como in the Champions League on Wednesday, no decision has yet been made about what happens after Sunday.

At the Carrington training ground, the prevailing view is that the performance and the result in the Como defeat were unacceptable. Carrick also said as much after the match. There is also some understanding for the manager because of injury problems. Lisandro Martinez's comment last week that the squad was not good enough to compete at the highest level won the support of most fans. Martinez directed his criticism not at the manager but at the club's hierarchy.

Still, the hierarchy believes the squad is stronger than last season's, when Carrick finished third, and sees the team as falling well short of expectations this season. A number of candidates were considered in January before Carrick. It is believed there has been no formal contact with those names recently, but the possibility of talks in the coming days is not ruled out.

Bruno Fernandes will not be stripped of the captaincy despite criticising the coaching staff and tactics after the Como defeat. He is also not expected to face a punishment. There is disappointment at the club over his comments, but it is said his anger is understood. Former player Jamie Carragher, meanwhile, called Fernandes "an absolute disgrace".