Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes has hit back at Roy Keane, accusing the Old Trafford legend of lying after Keane criticised his pursuit of the Premier League assist record.
Fernandes broke the all-time record for assists in a single Premier League season this term, finishing the campaign with 21 after setting up Patrick Dorgu in Sunday’s 3-0 win at Brighton. He had equalled the previous record, held jointly by Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne, a week earlier in United’s 3-2 win over Nottingham Forest.
Keane was unimpressed, claiming on The Overlap podcast that Fernandes had put his own personal glory ahead of the team. He suggested that Fernandes had admitted in a post-match interview that he had passed the ball when he should have shot, in order to chase the record.
However, Keane appeared to have misheard or misremembered what was actually said. Fernandes had in fact said the opposite, that there were moments when he probably should have passed instead of shooting. He also made clear that the win mattered more to him than the record.
Fernandes wasted no time in responding. Speaking on The Diary of a CEO podcast, he said he had no problem with criticism but would not accept having words put in his mouth that he had never said. He pointed out that everything was on record and that Keane’s version of events was simply not true. He also revealed he had contacted former United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to try to get hold of Keane’s phone number so the two could speak directly.
Fernandes had a superb season overall, finishing third in the league with United and picking up both the Football Writers Association and Premier League Player of the Season awards.
