Manchester United star Bruno Fernandes has been praised amid the feud over his mentality after club icon Roy Keane took issue with his approach
Bruno Fernandes celebrates during a Manchester United game
Man United captain Bruno Fernandes has been praised by a former team-mate of Roy Keane(Image: Steve Bardens/Getty Images)
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Bruno Fernandes' work rate and captaincy have been lauded amid his ongoing feud with Roy Keane. Former Manchester United defender Phil Bardsley has described the midfielder's efforts as 'out of this world' after helping the club return to the Champions League.
Fernandes broke the Premier League assist record on the final day of the season as United defeated Brighton, having equalled the mark set by Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne a week before against Nottingham Forest. Following that match, Keane took aim at the mentality of Fernandes and his team-mates as he claimed they were too focused on achieving the Portuguese star's landmark, rather than winning the game.
Former Sporting CP star Fernandes hit back at the Irishman, accusing him of lying after misconstruing his words. The 31-year-old even suggested he had asked for Keane's number to address the incident.
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United icon Keane has previously suggested Fernandes should be stripped of captaincy at Old Trafford, but Bardsley could not disagree more. The former full-back could not speak more highly of Fernandes' efforts.
"Absolutely," Bardsley told the MEN when asked if he was happy with Fernandes as Michael Carrick's captain. "He leads by example every day in training, delivers on the football pitch, and yeah, he's elite."
Fernandes has just a year remaining on his contract, though United have the option to extend his deal for a further year. The veteran star is said to have a £56million release clause that could see him become available to other clubs.
Bruno Fernandes during a Manchester United game
Man United captain Bruno Fernandes broke the Premier League assist record on Sunday(Image: Getty Images)
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Bardsley believes it is vital United retain his services heading into a Champions League campaign. The ex-Sunderland and Stoke City star was keen to highlight the unseen work that Fernandes does that is quickly forgotten.
"Yeah, he's hard to describe," said Bardsley. "He's just brilliant at what he does.
"He's a brilliant football player and a joy to watch. I’m very lucky to watch United on a regular basis and see him deliver.
"Even if he's having a bad game, his work rate is out of this world. I think sometimes that goes unnoticed because of the goals and the assists, but he's a proper player."
Another United full-back in Patrice Evra has also came out in defence of Fernandes. The Frenchman understands Keane's frustration given the media attention given to the assist record, but Evra suggest he would also look to help the Portugal star break it.
"After the media made the assist record big, I will understand some reaction from [Roy] Keano because they are winning people," Evra told Stake. "It's more about the frustration.
"It's not like I agree with what he said, but I understand both sides. And of course, if I play with Bruno and I know he can break the record, I will do my best to help him because now the goal is we already achieved, we qualified for the Champions League. So definitely the next game, I will try to pass the ball to Bruno and he can make an assist and break the record."