Roy Keane and Bruno Fernandes Resolve Spat with Mature Conversation
Roy Keane says he and Bruno Fernandes have settled their recent spat over comments about the Manchester United captain’s pursuit of the Premier League assist record, describing their exchange as a “lovely chat” and a “nice, mature conversation”.
The row began when Fernandes publicly called out Keane for “telling a lie” on The Overlap last month. Keane had claimed the midfielder once admitted he chose to pass rather than shoot while chasing the assist record. Fernandes later pointed out that, in the original interview, he had actually said the opposite.
The misquote didn’t sit well. Appearing on The Diary of a CEO, Fernandes highlighted the error and made it clear he wanted to speak directly with the former United captain to clear the air.
That conversation has now taken place.
Speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, Keane explained how the situation was resolved away from the cameras and microphones.
“He apologised, I forgave him, no problem, but no it was a good chat,” Keane said, with a hint of humour.
He then detailed how the call came about: “There was a reaction after what we said on the podcast a few weeks ago and he reached out to me and wanted a chat… I called him and we had a lovely chat.”
Keane painted a picture of two United captains, past and present, stepping back from the noise and dealing with the issue directly.
“A lovely chat about a bit of everything,” he said. “It was nice because when we do podcasts or games, sometimes you think you say something afterwards and you communicate something and it doesn’t come across properly, so people get upset and he said he wanted to talk to me.
“And we had a nice, mature conversation. It was lovely. A lovely chat.”
Keane also underlined that he prefers a clear distance between pundits and current players, but recognised this was a moment that warranted a direct line.
“I like having boundaries with players. I don’t want to be speaking to players every few weeks or their agents, I don’t want to go down that road, but every now and then a player might reach out, so I think it was important I spoke to him.”
With Fernandes a central figure at Old Trafford and Keane still one of the most influential United voices in the media, their brief feud had quickly become a talking point. Keane suggested the wider context around the club made the conversation even more significant.
“There has been lots going on and lots reported. He’s obviously a big player for United, I’m an ex-United player and I think the idea of this communicating and having a proper conversation, I really enjoyed it. Hopefully I think he did as well. Nice chat about a bit of everything and I felt better afterwards.”
Two captains, one misunderstanding, and, in the end, a phone call that restored a line of respect between United’s present and its uncompromising past.
