Bruno Fernandes set a new Premier League single-season assists record by providing 21 assists, surpassing the previous record of 20 held jointly by Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne [1, 2, 3]. He equaled the old record during Manchester United's 3-2 win over Nottingham Forest on May 17 and broke it a week later in a 3-0 victory against Brighton [1, 2, 3].
Following the Forest match, former Manchester United captain Roy Keane criticized Fernandes on The Overlap podcast. Keane said Fernandes was "at the center of a 'circus act'" and claimed the midfielder said, "A few times, I probably should have shot but I made them passes," implying Fernandes had a mindset focused on chasing an individual record rather than team success [1, 2, 3]. Keane added, "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" [1].
Fernandes strongly disputed Keane's interpretation on The Diary of a CEO podcast. He said the actual post-match comment was, "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" [1, 2, 3]. Fernandes said, "I don’t mind criticism... 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... he puts words in my mouth that have not been said" [2, 3]. He also expressed respect for Keane but disliked the false attribution [3].
Fernandes reached out to former manager Ole Gunnar Solskjær to get Keane's phone number to address the issue personally [2, 3]. After the dispute, Keane posted on Instagram, "Too much attention makes a donkey think he’s a lion," adding fuel to the public disagreement [2].
The clash highlights conflicting views on Fernandes' motivations after his record-breaking season with Manchester United. The next Premier League season begins in August 2026.
