2026-05-26 08:53:41

Bruno Fernandes has accused Manchester United legend Roy Keane of telling a “lie” about his pursuit of the Premier League assists record.

The Red Devils captain suggested Keane put “untrue words in my mouth” as he described the playmaker as being at the centre of a “circus act” as he notched a record-equalling 20th assist of the campaign in United’s 3-2 win over Nottingham Forest earlier this month.

Speaking on The Overlap’s Stick to Football podcast, Keane said: “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? He won’t be winning trophies, not with that mindset of the team.”

Fernandes – who broke the record with a 21st assist in United’s 3-0 win at Brighton on the final day of the season – actually said post-match: “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.”

The Portuguese international explained that he can take criticism from pundits but was irked that his words had been twisted.

Fernandes told The Diary of a CEO podcast: “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.

“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 even revealed that he has asked former United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer for Keane’s phone number so the pair can discuss the issue.

He said: “Obviously I think I’ve always showed a lot of respect for Roy Keane and for everything he’s done for the club and for everything he’s always said.

“I’ve never ever had something to say, I’ve never said something wrong. I even asked Ole 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 when people lie about things that I say.

“Because this is like… it goes a little bit over the top of the things that I think are acceptable.

“I accept criticism. I accept that he can say things that I don’t like and I don’t like to see it. But as I said before, that improves me. What I don’t like is that people make their own words on what I say and it’s not true.

“Obviously I 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.”

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