Man Utd players reportedly told not to speak after Leeds draw

Bruno Fernandes told reporters he was “not allowed” to speak after Manchester United’s 1-1 draw at Leeds United, according to The Sun, as cited by Metro. The report says Matheus Cunha gave a Brazilian reporter the same explanation, suggesting the players’ silence was not simply a choice to skip the mixed zone interviews.

The reported restriction concerns media interviews, not a playing suspension. The reports do not say that Fernandes, Cunha or any other United player will miss a match because of it.

The incident follows Lisandro Martinez’s criticism of United’s hierarchy after the club’s 2-0 defeat at Atletico Madrid last week. Metro reported that Martinez challenged the summer recruitment and questioned whether the squad was strong enough to compete seriously in the Premier League and Champions League. The outlet also reported that United fined the defender.

Martinez later apologised on social media after meeting the club’s leadership and manager Michael Carrick. In a statement reproduced by Metro, he described the meeting as “a very positive conversation” and said the frustration of the defeat had led him to speak “at a time and place that perhaps were not the right ones”.

United’s draw at Leeds offered Carrick a result to build on, but not a win. Metro reported that the manager remained under pressure after six games without a victory. Carrick called the performance “a bit of a fresh start” and said the team had accepted its situation and acted on it. He also praised the group’s commitment, saying there had been “a real purpose” among the players over the previous couple of days.

United sit 13th with seven points from seven league games and have won once. Their next chance to turn the Leeds performance into a victory is at home to Bournemouth on Sunday 25 October, with kick-off at 14:00 GMT.