News Focus
- Roy Keane and Bruno Fernandes have settled their public disagreement
- The dispute began when Keane misquoted the Manchester United captain on a podcast
- Fernandes accused the former United midfielder of telling a “lie” about his words
- The pair held a private phone call to clear the air this week
- Keane described their conversation as “mature” and positive
Former Manchester United star Roy Keane has made peace with current club captain Bruno Fernandes following a war of words over a podcast interview. The Irish TV pundit revealed he held a private telephone conversation with the Portuguese midfielder after misquoting him earlier this year.
The trouble started when Keane spoke about Fernandes on The Overlap podcast in May. He claimed the United skipper cared more about personal records than team victories. This came after Fernandes set a new Premier League record with 21 assists during the 2025-26 season.
Keane told listeners that Fernandes had said “I probably should have shot but I made them passes” following a 3-2 win against Nottingham Forest. He called this behaviour part of a “circus act”. However, Fernandes denied making these comments and accused Keane of dishonesty.
The midfielder explained what he actually said to reporters. He admitted there were times he should have passed instead of shooting. But he stressed that winning the match and finishing the season strongly mattered most to him.
Speaking on the Stick to Football podcast on Wednesday, Keane confirmed the two men had talked. “We had a lovely chat,” he said. “It was a nice, mature conversation.” Keane accepted that words on podcasts sometimes do not come across as intended. He noted that while he prefers not to speak regularly with current players, he felt this discussion was important.
Keane added that he respects Fernandes for reaching out directly. He said they spoke about many topics and he felt much better afterwards. The former Republic of Ireland captain hopes the matter is now closed between himself and the United skipper.