Bruno Fernandes should either confront Roy Keane or zip it after ‘disappointing’ Man United row

Simon Jordan told Bruno Fernandes to ‘shut up’ after the Manchester United captain spoke out against Roy Keane.

However, a section of the Old Trafford faithful have turned on their former skipper, branding him a ‘bitter old man’.

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The dispute ignited after the Portuguese midfielder made history by becoming the first player to provide 21 assists in a single top-flight campaign.

Keane publicly criticised the Portuguese midfielder’s mindset, claiming the skipper admitted to passing when he should have shot.

Fernandes recently replied on The Diary of a CEO podcast, insisting the Irishman fabricated the quote: “What I don’t like is when people lie about things and 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 one thing that I’ve just not said. Luckily for me, everything is on record.”

Since it was released, Keane doubled down by sharing an image of a donkey on his Instagram story with the caption: “Too much attention makes a donkey think he’s a lion.”

The blunt approach

Speaking on talkSPORT’s White & Jordan, Jordan defended Keane’s right to criticise the Premier League ‘Player of the Season’ and said: “I think Keane’s become set in his ways, I think he harks back to a time when United dominated English football.

“There’s the saying, the day of a lion is the life of a lamb. They [the current squad] are the lambs of this Man United side, they can’t even breathe the same rarefied air as the previous teams.

“I look at people sometimes and wonder how you got rewarded for mediocrity. I hate it, I hate when people get things they don’t really merit and today’s society hands it to them and lionises them.

“It would be best for Roy to turn around and say ‘I’ve got it wrong in this instance, but I still think you’re a flake’. But he won’t, and that’s part of his appeal.

“Who even said he should apologise? WE? Who are we to tell him what he should and shouldn’t do? Bruno Fernandes can confront him because I’m sure there will be plenty of time where their paths cross and he can pull him up himself.

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“Did Fernandes get his number? Did he text him? Did he phone him? Because you seem quite committed to having a big mouth in the studio, did you pull him up?

“Oh no, you didn’t. Well, shut up then!”

Defending ‘phenomenal’ Fernandes

The reaction from club legends has deeply disappointed many Manchester United supporters. On the latest episode of Inside Devils, Angelina Kelly leapt to the defence of the current captain, highlighting his character off the pitch.

She said: “We know who our captain is. We all hear about the things that he does behind the scenes. He keeps in touch with people that were made redundant by Sir Jim Ratcliffe.

“Trying to make sure that people get to Wembley. and being the first person waiting to welcome academy kids onto the first-team training pitch.

“He’s a good human being and he is a phenomenal footballer.”

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She added: “Why can’t we just enjoy the fact that we’ve got a fantastic player in the Premier League, doing things that people haven’t seen before? Just be a football fan. Just enjoy it.

“It’s very unfortunate that one of our former captains is going against him. When you’ve got one of our own hating on him as well, it’s disappointing.”

She added: “You would never in a million years see Ian Wright sitting there getting into a public spat with Mikel Arteta or Martin Odegaard. It just wouldn’t happen. The worst thing about this is that Keane literally got the quote completely wrong.”

Tarnishing the Class of ’92 legacy

The friction between the 54-year-old and the current squad is heavily linked to the rocky conclusion of his own 12-year playing career at Old Trafford under Sir Alex Ferguson.

Keane has remained highly vocal about modern football culture, routinely labeling contemporary players as “bluffers” who care more about social media and brand endorsements than the badge.

talkSPORT’s chief football correspondent Alex Crook suggested that Keane is not the only legend damaging his reputation with the fan base at Old Trafford.

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He said: “I think it’s really sad the path that Roy Keane has decided to go down. There’s still the bitterness over his fallout with Sir Alex Ferguson and the way that he left the club, which I think is really sad.

“He said some things about Michael Carrick that clearly come from a very bitter and personal place. And I think he’s tarnishing his legacy.

“And it’s not just him, by the way. Paul Scholes has done it with that post about Carrick that he had to hastily delete, Gary Neville has done it, and Nicky Butt did it with his comments over Lessandro Martinez.

“Yes, they’re not there to be cheerleaders. I get that, I’m as critical of Manchester United as anybody, but there isn’t anything to be critical about at the moment.

“Carrick has done a brilliant job. Fernandes has broken the assist record. The club is in a good place, and Old Trafford is a happy place to watch football again. The atmosphere is the best it’s been for a long long time.

“I don’t see the need for these very decorated legends to stick the boot in. And as I say, I don’t see it happening anywhere else.

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He added: “There’s certain individuals, most of them seem to have an affiliation with that class of 92 who just want to pick out the negatives. And we know, listen, negativity sells.

“You know, even with this YouTube show, we get more viewers when United are doing badly than when they’re performing well. So, I don’t know if there’s part of that as well, if that’s the motivation

“But it’s a generational head loss from Roy Keane, but to start taking potshots at Bruno Fernandes is a battle Keane cannot win because the fans, as much as they loved Roy Keane, they love Bruno Fernandes.

“I think he’s coming across as a very bitter old man.”