Sky Sports pundit Roy Keane was not afraid to take sniper shots at Bruno Fernandes over his captaincy at Manchester United, especially in the 2024-25 campaign.
Roy Keane has become a box-office attraction during his punditry duties on TV, with the Manchester United legend dropping scathing rants from time to time.
However, the 54-year-old iconic former Man Utd captain took it a step further during his heated spat with Ian Wright on The Overlap’s Stick to Football podcast.
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During a 2025 episode, Keane was deeply critical of Bruno Fernandes during the Red Devils’ turbulence in the second half of the 2024-25 season under Ruben Amorim.
“Save us? They’re 15th in the league and he’s saving them? Praise the lord,” he told Ian Wright in his argument, as per BBC Sport in February 2025.
“You have to have a starting point. I go back to it all – talent is not enough. Bruno’s a talented player, but talent’s not enough.”
It’s not the first – or even the last time at this rate – that the legendary former United midfielder will take a swipe at Fernandes’ role at the Premier League club.
Amad Diallo praises Bruno Fernandes communication
Bruno Fernandes might have received criticism for how he has handled the Manchester United captaincy since he was promoted to the role under Erik ten Hag.
However, the 31-year-old Portugal international has risen above the noise and has continued to deliver consistently for the Red Devils in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era.
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Fernandes might be a punching bag for unfair criticism over his captaincy, but his importance at Old Trafford still stands out among the United first-team players.
Speaking on United’s Inside Carrington podcast, Amad Diallo showed the Swiss Army Knife abilities in Fernandes’ locker with how many languages the captain speaks.
“Bruno speaks a lot of languages,” he said.
“He speaks French, speaks Portuguese, he speaks Spanish, he speaks English, so he’s the main man who can talk to everyone.”
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Bruno Fernandes is equipped in a way that not even Roy Keane was during the Man Utd legend’s spell
Roy Keane was blessed to have Sir Alex Ferguson and the incredible Man Utd players that he played alongside during his illustrious playing spell at Old Trafford.
That is not to take away from the remarkable player that Keane was himself, especially as a commanding box-to-box midfielder in his prime at United.
But the no-nonsense Irishman didn’t have the same ability to communicate with his teammates at a time when football was adapting to players coming from abroad.
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Even Keane’s former Man Utd teammates pointed out the language barrier that was in place, which included one story from former Red Devils defender Gabriel Heinze.
“I’m the first one off the pitch when a game ends because I don’t like to talk to anyone,” he told ESPN Argentina’s ‘Pura Quimica,’ as per ESPN in 2017.
“I went straight to the changing room — I was the first in and Roy was next. I didn’t speak much English then.
“I see that he [Keane] is staring at me and he says, ‘F— off.’ I knew that swear word because those are the first things you learn.
“He comes towards me and I tell him, ‘F— off you,’ and that is the last thing I remember. I didn’t even have time to swing my arm […].”
Keane might be one of Fernandes’ biggest critics for his Man Utd captaincy, but the Portuguese midfielder does have a one-up on him when it comes to languages.
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