Bruno Fernandes Responds To Roy Keane Over Premier League Assist Record

Bruno Fernandes strongly rejected Roy Keane's recent comments, accusing the former Manchester United captain of lying about an interview. The Manchester United captain said Keane misrepresented Fernandes' attitude towards team success, even as Fernandes ended the Premier League season with a record number of assists for the club.

Speaking on The Diary of a CEO podcast, Fernandes insisted Keane twisted earlier remarks about his decision-making in attack. Fernandes said Keane's claim that Fernandes prioritised personal targets over trophies was false, and stressed that every interaction is recorded, so his words are easy to check.

The midfielder completed the 2025-26 Premier League campaign with 21 assists after setting up Patrick Dorgu against Brighton. That pass gave Manchester United the opening goal in a 3-0 win at the American Express Stadium and moved Fernandes beyond Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne for the competition's single-season assist record.

Fernandes also scored the third goal in that match, adding to a record of delivering goals and assists together. The Portugal international has recorded both a goal and an assist in 19 Premier League fixtures for Manchester United, a mark bettered at the club only by Wayne Rooney with 35 and Ryan Giggs with 22.

Keane's criticism followed Manchester United's 3-2 victory over Nottingham Forest on matchday 37, when Fernandes drew level with the previous assist record. On The Overlap, Keane argued that Fernandes had admitted passing when shooting was the better choice, and declared: "He won't be winning trophies, not with that mindset."

Fernandes responded by saying Keane's version of events did not match what Fernandes actually said after the Forest game. Fernandes stated Keane either watched a different interview or misunderstood the one given, and objected to what Fernandes viewed as an inaccurate portrayal of his mentality towards the team.

Fernandes said: "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 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, what you said about Roy Keane... basically, what he said is a lie. Either he saw some other interview or he can't say that I said a thing that I've just not said, and luckily for me, everything is 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."

The disagreement comes during a season where tension between current Manchester United players and figures from Sir Alex Ferguson's era has been visible. In January, Lisandro Martinez became involved in a public dispute with Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt, underlining a growing divide in opinions over the club's current direction.

Fernandes said: "I think I've always showed a lot of respect for Roy Keane and for everything he's done for the club. I've never ever had anything to say, I've never said anything wrong. I even asked Ole [Gunnar Solksjaer] for his number to text him, to be honest, to have a word with him to say that I don't mind the criticism, but I don't like it when people lie about things I say. Obviously, I would prefer Roy Keane to give me some praise sometimes because I've achieved something that not many players have achieved. I understand that this club is about winning trophies and I have never taken that off my mind."

Fernandes' comments highlight the balance current Manchester United players are trying to keep between respecting former club greats and defending their own performances. While Fernandes set a new Premier League assist record and contributed key goals, the discussion around mentality and standards at Manchester United remains active among past and present figures.