A heavy defeat in Italy

Manchester United lost 4-1 at Como in the Champions League on Wednesday, 21 October 2026, a result that deepened the strain on a club already struggling this season. It ranks among the worst results in United's European history. The loss followed a week of open friction inside the squad, which began when Lisandro Martinez criticised director of football Jason Wilcox and the club's summer recruitment. Michael Carrick, who has overseen two wins this season against Ipswich and Sabah Baku, now faces growing scrutiny over his position.

Fernandes criticises the head coach

After the final whistle, captain Bruno Fernandes said the tactics Carrick had set were open to question. He argued that the head coach and his backroom staff, rather than the players, should spot problems on the pitch and change them. Fernandes gave ten post-match interviews in Como, even though he had been withdrawn in the second half. Many inside the club see his frustration as understandable given the way the game was lost, although some disappointment remains at the tone of his comments. The BBC reports that he will stay as captain and will not face disciplinary action. Carrick hit back with a short retort:

“If you don't run, you ain't going to win.”

Rooney's criticism of the squad

Wayne Rooney spoke on the United Stand podcast and accused several players of acting like babies after the defeat. He said Martinez's public outburst had been the start of the problem and would rip the dressing room apart. Rooney urged Fernandes and Martinez to look at themselves honestly, and said Fernandes was going through the worst run of form of his time at the club. He also called on the board to make clear what the future holds for Carrick. He summed up his view in these terms:

“These players, they're selfish. They care about themselves, they don't care about their team-mates, don't care about the manager, about the staff or the fans, they care about themselves.”

Rooney also recalled periods under Sir Alex Ferguson when the two did not speak, though he said he would still have run through a brick wall for the manager.

The club's European record

Heavy European defeats are not new for the club. United lost 4-0 in Milan in 1958 and 4-0 in Porto in 1977, and in the latter tie a 5-2 second-leg win was not enough to overturn the result. The 4-0 Champions League defeat at Barcelona in 1994 was played in front of 114,273 spectators, with about 8,000 United supporters travelling in confident mood. Como's 9,000 home supporters celebrated after the final whistle on Wednesday, while the away fans left feeling low. The Como result is now part of a long run of heavy losses since the post-Ferguson era began, and United's next away game is at Stamford Bridge on 31 October.