25.5.2026
Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes has defended his character and achievements as he accused Roy Keane of telling a “lie” about his pursuit of the Premier League assists record.
Fernandes said Keane had put untrue “words in my mouth” on a recent podcast appearance and he hopes to contact the United legend to set him straight.
Keane a former United midfield stalwart, described Fernandes as being at the centre of a “circus act” following United’s 3-2 victory over Nottingham Forest on the penultimate weekend of the season.
He suggested the Portugal international was prioritising individual assists glory over the team’s interests in his eagerness to set the single-season record.
Speaking on podcast The Overlap, Keane had said: “After the [Forest] game he got interviewed and he said, the captain of Manchester United said: ‘A few times, I probably should have shot but I made them passes.’ Wow. How can your mindset of a footballer be going into a match to be about an individual record?
“He won’t be winning trophies, not with that mindset of the team.”
Fernandes’ actual post-match comments were: “There were probably moments today when I should have passed instead of shot. I’m very happy for the assist, but more than that, I’m happy for the win and to finish the season on a high.”
Reacting to Keane’s comments was clear as Fernandez told podcast The Diary of a CEO: “Like I’ve always said, I don’t mind criticism. I’ve always taken criticism from everyone and anyone and I never reply to anything or whatsoever.
“People have an opinion; they think it’s good, bad, whatever. What I don’t like is when people lie about things and [in] this case that you said about Roy Keane basically what he said is a lie because… either he saw some other interview or he can’t say that I said one thing that I’ve just not said and luckily for me is everything on record.”
Fernandes is not the first player in the current squad to have voiced disapproval towards a United great.
Earlier this season, Lisandro Martinez was involved in a spat with Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt after they made comments about his height and ability to compete with Erling Haaland in the Manchester derby. BBC
Fernandes and Roy Keane...untrue comments.