Manchester United legend Roy Keane has been a vocal critic of Bruno Fernandes in recent years, but his former team-mate Rio Ferdinand has come to the defence of the Red Devils skipper
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Bruno Fernandes gestures to the assistant referee during the Emirates FA Cup third round match at the Emirates Stadium
Bruno Fernandes' leadership has been slammed by Roy Keane(Image: PA)
Rio Ferdinand rushed to defend Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes from Roy Keane's scathing criticism, accusing the Irishman of having a “poisonous tongue”. Keane has been a vocal critic of Fernandes in recent times given United's dire performances and results, which currently see them languishing down in 13th in the Premier League.
The Red Devils legend didn't hold back with his thoughts even after United’s 3-2 victory over Ipswich Town last month. And despite Fernandes' tally of eight goals and nine assists this season, he unleashed a fiery, expletive-laden rant about the Portuguese's apparent lack of leadership qualities on the Stick To Football podcast.
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During a heated exchange with fellow pundit Ian Wright, Keane blasted: "People pretend to be closing people down. Talent is not enough. Bruno is a talented player, but talent is not enough. It's not enough, Wrighty. Bruno is not a fighter. You want someone going, 'lads, are you with me? Are you with me?'”
"Maybe he's not that captain Roy," Wright countered. "But what he's doing is saving you, playing that pass." Keane, however, was having none of it, fiercely responding: "What's he saving?! What's he saving, 2-2 at Everton?!"
The heated debate caught the attention of Ferdinand, a former United team-mate of Keane's, who discussed the verbal tirade with another Red Devils legend in Andy Cole on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast. Ferdinand asked Cole for his view on the comments, leading to a conversation about leadership styles across different football generations and a deep dive into Keane's own no-nonsense captaincy.
United's Treble-winning hero Cole said: “Different generations, like I said. The way Roy used to lead back then, if Roy was playing now, he couldn’t lead his team.”
Ferdinand, who spent three seasons playing alongside Keane, also sided with Fernandes by agreeing that the Irishman's style of leadership would not be effective in the modern game. He even recounted a particularly brutal incident involving Keane during a training session two decades ago.
Roy Keane gets heated with Ian Wright as he blasts Bruno Fernandes and Man Utd 'imposters'
Manchester United legend Roy Keane took aim at the Red Devils captain
(Image: @TheOverlap/Youtube)
Ferdinand revealed: “I think players today would just shut down with someone like Roy. I saw Roy, even with players that weren’t in the first team, almost end their careers before it started with some of the things he said. His tongue was poisonous at times.
“You’d have to step back and laugh, by yourself, and then come out and say ‘come on man, that’s a bit out of order’. I remember Michael Stewart, a young kid at the time, a nice guy, talented Scottish footballer, everyone was saying he’ll be the next one that comes through.
“I remember Roy said to him one day, ‘in a couple years, do you know where you’re gonna be? You’re gonna be a pub team player’. He’s looking at Roy Keane, his hero probably, and Roy has just destroyed him. I saw the life draining out of his body.”
Rio Ferdinand speaking on his podcast
Rio Ferdinand has been critical of Roy Keane's "poisonous tongue"
(Image: Rio Ferdinand Presents.)
Keane is regarded by many as United's greatest-ever captain, having won four Premier League titles, two FA Cups and the Champions League as skipper. Fernandes, meanwhile, has been United's standout performer during some of their toughest times, though his on-field demeanour has occasionally been questioned.
Reacting to Keane's comments, Fernandes told Sky Sports: "It's the way he thinks about me as a player, as a captain. I have to respect that. I try to do the things in my own way to be not the best captain but person and team-mate as I can. I do it every day. I try to be an example in everything I do in the training sessions, on the pitch.
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"But obviously, not everyone will like [it], not everyone will think in the same way, and I respect every opinion of everyone. I have to accept there is a lot of margin for improvement in my game and my leadership."
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