Man United captain Bruno Fernandes fires back at ex-Red Devils skipper Roy Keane as war of words develops

Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes has hit back at Roy Keane, accusing the former Red Devils skipper of a "lie" in relation to his comments about the Premier League assist record.

Fernandes took the record for the most assists (21) in a single Premier League season on Sunday against Brighton & Hove Albion when his corner was headed into the back of the net by Patrick Dorgu.

Keane said that Fernandes had been at the centre of a "circus act" against Nottingham Forest in Man United's penultimate match of the season, suggesting that the Portugal international had been searching for the record rather than helping his team.

"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?" Keane said on The Overlap.

"He won't be winning trophies, not with that mindset of the team."

Fernandes accuses Keane of spreading "a lie" regarding Premier League assist record

However, Fernandes had told reporters after the Forest game: "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."

Fernandes has now expressed his anger at a "lie" being told about him.

"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," Fernandes told The Diary of a CEO.

"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.

"I accept his criticism, I accept that he might like me as a player or not, like me as a person or not. But what I don't like is that he puts words in my mouth that have not been said. That's the only thing I don't like."

Fernandes enjoyed a glorious 2025-26 campaign for Man United

Fernandes was in exceptional form for Man United during the 2025-26 campaign, finishing with nine goals and 21 assists in 35 Premier League appearances.

The 31-year-old played a leading role in the Red Devils finishing third in the Premier League table to secure a return to the Champions League for the 2026-27 season.

Keane has previously claimed that Fernandes is not a suitable captain, but the attacker once again proved to be an inspirational figure for Man United during the recent campaign.