Roy Keane and Bruno Fernandes Resolve Dispute After Private Call

Roy Keane has revealed that he and Bruno Fernandes engaged in a private phone conversation to settle their recent public disagreement. The former Manchester United player and the current club captain had been at odds over Keane's critique of Fernandes' focus on individual achievements.

Keane explained on the Stick to Football podcast by Sky Bet that Fernandes initiated contact to address the tension between them. "There was a reaction after what we said after the podcast a few weeks ago, with what I said about Bruno Fernandes, and he reached out to me, wanted to chat," Keane said. "So I called him and we did have a lovely chat. We had a chat about a bit of everything."

He added that sometimes messages conveyed during podcasts or matches can be misunderstood, leading to upset. "We had a nice, mature conversation. It was a lovely chat," Keane noted, joking about the resolution: "He apologised, I forgave him, no problem. But no, it was a good chat."

The dispute escalated when Fernandes appeared on The Diary of a CEO and accused Keane of lying about comments he was alleged to have made. Keane had previously stated on The Overlap that Fernandes admitted to passing rather than shooting in order to pursue individual records, a claim Fernandes strongly denied.

Fernandes responded: "I don't mind criticism. What I don't like is when people lie about things. This case that you said about Roy Keane, basically what he said is a lie because either he saw some other interview or he can't say that I said one thing that I've just not said."

The disagreement extended onto social media before their private conversation. After Fernandes' denial, Keane posted an image of a donkey on his Instagram story, which many interpreted as a jab at Fernandes' leadership.

Keane reflected on the importance of direct communication with players, stating, "I like having boundaries with players. I don't want to be speaking to players every few weeks. But every now and then a player might reach out, so I think it was good that I spoke to Bruno because there was a lot reported and he's a big player for United. I really enjoyed it and hopefully he did as well. Nice chat about a bit of everything and I felt better afterwards."

On the field, Fernandes set a new Premier League single-season assist record by providing 21 assists, surpassing the previous marks held by Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne. This achievement was the subject of Keane's earlier criticism, as he questioned whether the team was overly focused on helping Fernandes reach this milestone.

Fernandes has emphasized that winning remains his main objective despite the personal accolades. With the dispute resolved, he can now concentrate on leading Michael Carrick's team, which is returning to the Champions League next season, without any public conflict overshadowing their efforts at Old Trafford.