“Putting words in my mouth” – Man United captain Bruno Fernandes responds to Roy Keane’s strong criticism, saying he’s not telling the truth.
Bruno Fernandes has responded to Roy Keane and revealed that he even asked Ole Gunnar Solskjaer for Keane’s number so he could clear up a recent “misunderstanding” from the Manchester United legend.
Fernandes, who won the Premier League Player of the Season for the first time, has often faced tough criticism from Keane as part of his outspoken punditry. But Keane really called him out after Fernandes matched the Premier League assist record with a perfect cross for Bryan Mbeumo in the 3-2 win against Nottingham Forest last weekend.
While Gary Neville praised Fernandes’ achievement on the Overlap podcast, Keane said he was “raging” and felt uncomfortable seeing how United’s players celebrated Fernandes’ assist. He also criticized Fernandes’ post-match interview and questioned his mentality.
Keane said: “He was interviewed after the game, and everyone was focused on his assists, even the players. Then he said in the interview, ‘Yeah, maybe I should have taken some shots, but I made those passes.’ How can a footballer’s mindset be so focused on personal records instead of the team? It was cringeworthy.”
Keane called the whole fuss about Fernandes’ record “mind-boggling” and like a “circus act.”
But Fernandes addressed these comments during a chat with Steven Bartlett on the Diary of a CEO podcast, released right after the season ended. He said he took issue with Keane because the comments weren’t true—he had said the opposite of what Keane claimed.
The former Sporting midfielder denied changing how he plays just to chase assists. He said he’s okay with criticism but won’t accept lies about what he says.
Fernandes explained: “I’m always open to criticism from anyone, and I usually don’t respond. Everyone’s entitled to their opinion. But what I don’t like is when people lie about what I say. In this case with Roy Keane, what he said is just wrong. Maybe he saw a different interview or misunderstood me. Thankfully, everything is recorded—otherwise people might wrongly think I’m always chasing assists.”
He added, “My way of playing hasn’t changed. I’ve been creating chances since I arrived in the Premier League, probably more than anyone else. It’s not like this season I suddenly aimed for assists—that’s just me, taking risks and helping my teammates.”
Fernandes also pointed out how critics will always find something to say: “If you score goals, people say you don’t pass enough. If you make lots of assists, they say you pass too much and don’t shoot. It’s always going to be like this.”
He went on to say he even reached out to his old manager Solskjaer, who used to be a teammate of Keane, to get his number and talk to Keane directly.
“I’ve always shown respect for Roy and all he’s done for the club,” Fernandes said. “I asked Ole for his number to text him, just to say I don’t mind criticism, but I don’t like when people lie about things I didn’t say. I think this crossed the line a bit.”
He added, “I accept if he thinks I’m not good enough or not a good captain, that’s fine. But I’d like some praise sometimes because I have achieved things few players have. I know the club is about winning trophies—I’ve always said I want to win the Premier League and Champions League. I never said I want to be the best player in the league.”
Fernandes finished, “I accept if he criticizes me as a player or person, that’s okay. But what I don’t like is him putting words in my mouth that I never said.”
Fernandes was officially credited with a record-breaking 21st assist in the 3-0 win over Brighton, though some have questioned if one should count after a header by Patrick Dorgu was claimed to be an own goal by Brighton’s goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen.