Carrick makes Fernandes promise as Man Utd star spotted limping

Michael Carrick has promised Bruno Fernandes a rest after he played the full 90 minutes against Sabah. The Portuguese playmaker has had a hectic start to the season, having played four successive full games.

In that time, he has scored four goals including one in United’s Champions League opener against Sabah. United boss Carrick opted for widespread changes in the second-half, albeit Fernandes stayed on.

And that appeared to have cost the Red Devils, with the 32-year-old having been spotted limping away from Old Trafford. Asked about his changes, Carrick said he ran out of changes but has promised Fernandes that he will get the chance for a rest soon.

"We only had five subs! We had to make certain decisions on what that looked like," said Carrick. "But, of course, he's like anybody else. He has played an awful lot, but I think we're developing the group and the squad to be able to accommodate that in different ways.

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"Tonight was just one of those things, there were decisions to be made and he ended up staying on."

Another concern that United have ahead of the Manchester derby is the fitness of Luke Shaw, who was left out of the side against Sabah.

Asked about the defender, Carrick added: "We'll have to see. We just kind of looked after him a little bit going into tonight. He wasn't quite ready for it 100%, so we didn't risk it. We'll see how he is over the next couple of days or so."

Alongside Shaw, Marcus Rashford was also a notable absence against Sabah, but Carrick has assured that he is not dealing with an injury.

Asked if it was more of a precaution, the United boss added: "A little bit of that, yeah, and trying to share the load a little bit, to a point, as well.

"We've got good options, so we're trying to keep everyone fresh, but with a point where Ben [Šeško] can get good minutes tonight [against Sabah] and get him up to speed.

"There's always a bit of a challenge in getting that right, but it was nice to keep Marcus fresh and ready for the weekend.”

United certainly face a tough task this weekend as they welcome a Man City side to Old Trafford who have enjoyed a perfect start to the season. Enzo Maresca’s side sit top of the early table after three wins, while they also saw off Portuguese giants Porto in their Champions League opener in midweek.