Roy Keane has reignited his war of words with Bruno Fernandes, taking a thinly-veiled swipe at the Manchester United captain on social media. The former United midfielder posted an image of a donkey standing in a spotlight on a stage, with two lions lurking in the shadows, captioned: 'Too much attention makes a donkey think he's a lion.'
Fernandes Breaks Assists Record
The dig comes after Fernandes broke the all-time Premier League assists record on the final day of the season against Brighton. The Portuguese playmaker then accused Keane of peddling 'unacceptable lies' about him during an appearance on The Diary of a CEO podcast. Keane had earlier labelled Fernandes 'a circus act', suggesting he prioritises individual glory over team success.
Keane's Original Criticism
Speaking on The Overlap after United's 3-2 victory over Nottingham Forest, Keane said: 'He said in his interview, the captain of Man United, he said there was a few times I should have shot but I made the passes. Wow. How can your mindset of a footballer be talking about individual records?'
Fernandes Responds
Fernandes hit back, stating: 'People have an opinion, they think it's good, bad, whatever. And, in this case, what Roy Keane said is a lie. Luckily for me, everything is recorded. I accept his criticism, I accept that he might like me as a player or not, like me as a person or not. But what I don't like is that he puts words in my mouth that have not been said.'
Fernandes also revealed he had asked United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer for Keane's phone number to resolve the matter privately. The midfielder was named United's player of the season after leading the team to a third-place finish and Champions League qualification.
Public Spat Continues
Keane's latest Instagram post appears to be a direct response, escalating the feud further. The former Republic of Ireland international has consistently criticised Fernandes, calling his focus on assists 'mind-boggling' and claiming United's mentality under his captaincy will not win trophies.
