Bruno Fernandes has rejected suggestions that he prioritises personal milestones over helping Manchester United win, hitting back at Roy Keane's criticism of the players' mindset. The former United skipper, Keane, claimed that too much attention was being paid to Fernandes' assist tally instead of securing victory against Nottingham Forest last weekend.
Fernandes equals Premier League assist record
The midfielder drew level with the Premier League assist record through his 20th of the campaign, teeing up Bryan Mbeumo in the 3-2 triumph over Forest. He matched the record previously established by Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne, but Keane was far from impressed by the squad's mentality and delivered a withering assessment.
Keane maintained that the priority should be winning matches rather than dwelling on what he viewed as an unnecessary sideshow. "You're going to get assists in that position he plays," he contended on the Stick to Football podcast. "20 would be better if you're winning trophies. When you're the captain of the club and you're supposed to be driving the club forward, do not be getting bogged down by your role in the team, just assists."
Keane added: "I think what I heard at United at the weekend, I was raging with it. The whole chat about his assists and players talking about assists. He got interviewed after the match, and I was watching and everyone was talking about assists. The game was about his assists."
Fernandes responds to Keane's remarks
Fernandes, who became the first male United player to claim the Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year honour since Wayne Rooney in 2009/10, was subsequently questioned about Keane's remarks. "It is not something that I will ever chase," the midfielder explained. "I know people can have different opinions about me but they cannot say that I am not someone that looks to [help] the team and tries to make the team the most successful one. I will always try to win trophies and not individual accolades."
Meanwhile, Gary Neville took issue with Keane's stance, arguing: "There was nothing on the game, United had finished in the Champions League, Forest had already stayed up." But Keane hit back: "If your mindset is like that going into the game, what's to say it's not like that in other games? You say there's nothing in the game, there's always something on the game. There was 70,000 at the match yesterday."
Keane's confusion and Carrick's praise
Keane did, however, get mixed up, having mistakenly claimed that Fernandes admitted he should have shot several times instead of passing, when in actuality the United midfielder had said the opposite. United interim head coach Michael Carrick was full of praise for Fernandes, insisting he is very much a team player. He said: "He's going through at times and you're thinking, 'what's going through his head, is he looking for a pass, is he looking to just score? Is he second guessing it?' He coped with it fantastically well and to get the moment today the way he did, was a really nice moment for everybody."
Carrick added: "Credit to him for that because it's not easy, but he always puts himself behind the team and the team first and today was another one of those days. Even though he's going to get the praise because it is a fantastic achievement, obviously."
Fernandes has delivered 21 assists and eight goals across 34 Premier League appearances this season. The Portuguese international has one year remaining on his deal, with the option of an additional 12 months, and has been candid about his ambition to secure more silverware, having won the League Cup and FA Cup during his six-and-a-half seasons at United.
