Bruno Fernandes used his Instagram account on Monday morning to like a post reading “Never push a loyal person to the point where they no longer care,” a quote widely read as directed at his own club.

The like appeared hours after Fernandes sat out the entire 3-0 loss to Bournemouth at Old Trafford on Sunday, an unused substitute in a defeat that left Manchester United in 17th in the Premier League.

Carrick had dropped his captain after Fernandes openly questioned the staff’s tactics in the 4-1 Champions League thrashing at Como earlier in the week. The manager called the omission a “pure football” decision and refused to say whether he had disciplined the Portuguese on top of leaving him out.

What Fernandes said in Como

In Italy, Fernandes pointed at the bench rather than the players, telling reporters in the mixed zone, per Sky Sports, that it was down to the coaching staff to spot the problem.

Read also: Jalen Hurts played entire NFL game after alarming medical discovery before devastating Eagles news

“That’s on the manager and on the staff to see it, it’s not on me,” he said.

Carrick’s answer in the same mixed zone was that whatever system is picked, players still have to track back. He also said United had tried to press man-for-man in the second half and conceded a goal from doing it.

Carrick’s seat

Asked straight out after the Bournemouth loss whether he would be sacked, Carrick said he did not know and that he would do whatever was best for the club.

Reports in England now have Eddie Howe as the frontrunner to replace him. Technical director Jason Wilcox is said to favour the former Newcastle manager, while head of recruitment Christopher Vivell prefers Julian Nagelsmann. Both candidates are currently without a club, which rules out any buyout and lets either start immediately.

Read also: Lunin’s verdict on how Real Madrid beat Barcelona

The reel Fernandes liked

The Instagram post itself was a reel built around a short film called “A Tale of Momentum & Inertia.” In the clip a giant saves a town from a falling boulder, knocks one building over in the process, is fired at by the townspeople in anger, and then steps aside and lets the boulder roll into the city.

Fernandes has posted nothing on his own feed and has not spoken publicly since the match. His last on-the-record words on the manager are the ones he left in Como.

Read also: LeBron James breaks silence after 76ers’ perfect start ends: ‘This role is not sustainable’