Keane reveals phone call with Fernandes after feud left United captain upset

Roy Keane has revealed that Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes personally called him to clear the air after a public feud stemming from Keane’s criticism of the club’s players at the end of the Premier League season.

The dispute began when Keane took issue with the mentality of United’s squad after Fernandes broke the record for the most assists in a single Premier League season on the final day of the campaign against Brighton. Fernandes subsequently responded to Keane’s remarks in a conversation with Steven Bartlett, but the two have since spoken directly.

“I think there was a reaction to what we said on the podcast a few weeks ago and he reached out to me and wanted a chat,” Keane said on the latest episode of the Stick to Football podcast. “I did, I called him and we had a lovely chat about a bit of everything really.”

Keane acknowledged that his original comments may not have landed as intended. “It was nice — when we do podcasts or games, sometimes you think you say something afterward and you are trying to communicate something and it doesn’t come across properly and people get upset,” he said. “He wanted to speak to me and we had a nice, mature conversation.”

The episode underlines the sensitivity around public criticism of active players, particularly when directed at a club captain who has just set a historic individual record. Fernandes finished the Premier League season as its all-time single-season assists leader, yet Keane’s broader point about the team’s collective attitude drew a sharp response from the Portuguese midfielder before the two ultimately resolved their differences privately.