Roy Keane has once again taken aim at Bruno Fernandes, renewing his criticism of the Manchester United captain’s leadership qualities. Keane had earlier suggested that the club should remove Fernandes from the captaincy, questioning his ability to lead effectively. The debate intensified after Fernandes matched the Premier League single-season assist record in the game against Nottingham Forest.
The former United skipper was visibly frustrated after the match, dismissing the hype around the record as “a circus act.”
Keane went on to say that he was embarrassed by the excessive focus on Fernandes and argued that Bryan Mbeumo, who actually scored the decisive goal, deserved more recognition.
Fernandes’ response
The Portuguese midfielder responded in style the following weekend, providing an assist for Patrick Dorgu against Brighton and Hove Albion to set a new Premier League record of 21 assists in a single season.
After the final whistle, Fernandes hit back at his critics, saying that while he was open to fair criticism, he would not tolerate falsehoods. His comments were perceived as a pointed reply to Keane’s earlier remarks.
“I even asked Ole for his number so I could message him and have a word,” Fernandes said. “I don’t mind criticism, but I don’t like when people spread lies about what I say. That crosses a line for me.”
In the latest chapter of this ongoing feud, Keane appeared to mock Fernandes on social media by sharing a cryptic image.
Keane posted an Instagram story featuring a picture of a donkey braying with two lions lurking in the background.
He captioned the image with the words, “too much attention makes a donkey think it is a lion.”
The post was widely interpreted as a thinly veiled insult directed at Fernandes, ridiculing his recent statements and behaviour.
This episode adds to a growing list of public spats between former and current Manchester United players. Notably, Nicky Butt and Paul Scholes were previously involved in a heated exchange with Lisandro Martinez, criticising him ahead of the Manchester derby.
