Roy Keane has revealed he and Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes have cleared the air following a public disagreement over comments related to the Premier League assist record.
The former United skipper disclosed that the pair recently held what he described as a “lovely chat” after Fernandes challenged remarks Keane made during an episode of The Overlap podcast.
The misunderstanding stemmed from Keane’s claim that Fernandes had admitted choosing to pass rather than shoot while chasing the Premier League assist record.
However, Fernandes later pointed out that the comments had been misrepresented and publicly addressed the issue during an appearance on The Diary of a CEO podcast, where he expressed a desire to speak directly with the former midfielder.
That conversation has now taken place, with both men putting the matter behind them.
Speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, Keane explained that Fernandes reached out and initiated a discussion to clear up the confusion.
“He apologised, I forgave him, no problem,” Keane joked. “But no, it was a good chat.
“There was a reaction after what we said on the podcast a few weeks ago and he reached out to me and wanted a chat… I called him and we had a lovely chat.
“A lovely chat about a bit of everything, but it was nice because when we do podcasts or games, sometimes you think you say something afterwards and you communicate something and it doesn’t come across properly, so people get upset and he said he wanted to talk to me.
“And we had a nice, mature conversation. It was lovely. A lovely chat.”
Keane also admitted that while he generally prefers to keep a professional distance from current players, he felt it was important to speak directly with Fernandes given the attention surrounding the issue.
“I like having boundaries with players. I don’t want to be speaking to players every few weeks or their agents.
“I don’t want to go down that road, but every now and then a player might reach out, so it was important I spoke to him.
“There has been lots going on and lots reported. He’s obviously a big player for United.
“I’m an ex-United player and the idea of this communicating and having a proper conversation, I really enjoyed it. Hopefully he did as well.
“Nice chat about a bit of everything and I felt better afterwards.”
The exchange brings an end to a minor but widely discussed disagreement involving two prominent Manchester United figures.
While Fernandes continues to lead the current squad on the pitch, Keane remains one of the club’s most influential former captains.
Their willingness to resolve the issue privately highlights the mutual respect that still exists despite public scrutiny and differing perspectives.
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