Bruno Fernandes' leaked WhatsApp message speaks volumes as Roy Keane embarrasses him
Leaked WhatsApp messages from Bruno Fernandes' time at Sporting CP show the Manchester United midfielder is not afraid to call out his team-mates
Roy Keane's scathing critique of Bruno Fernandes for Manchester United has sparked a debate after a series of WhatsApp messages from his time at Sporting CP were leaked.
Former United captain Keane, never one to mince words, aired his views on The Overlap, saying: "They draw at Everton, and it's like they've won the cup. Bizarre. I see fans at matches. They're singing for Bruno, these boys - I'm thinking, f***ing imposters."
Ian Wright stepped in to defend Fernandes, but Keane countered: "I'm watching him - sit and watch a game. Sit and watch a game with him [in]. We watched him in the FA Cup, and I watched him at Everton. People pretend to be closing people down."
In response to Wright suggesting Fernandes has the ability to flip a game on its head, Keane heatedly argued: "We're 15th in the league, and he's saving them? (Before United's 3-2 win over Ipswich, which saw them climb to 14th) Praise the lord."
Keane drove his point home by saying: "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?'".
As the discussion extended to whether Fernandes fills the role of captain adequately, Keane posed the pointed question: "What's he saving? What's he saving, 2-2 at Everton?" reports the Mirror.
The Manchester United star has previously demonstrated he's not one to shy away from tough conversations with team-mates, as leaked WhatsApp voice notes during his time at Sporting CP revealed a fiery side to the midfielder. The Portuguese publication Record has quoted Fernandes unleashing on his fellow players: "Bro, I don't say anything!
"I honestly, if you want me to tell you, I'd rather not comment on anything. I think very badly of some of the attitudes of some players. Actually not a certain attitude, it's an attitude that does not exist. There are players who have no attitude here, bro.
"They don't want to be here, they don't want to play. They don't want to be here then f*** off, let them say they don't want to play. They spend a year here getting money, and then they f*** off, bro. S*** attitude bro, for f**** sake."
The leaked message shows that Fernandes cares about the clubs he plays for and wants to give his all. It gives insight into the midfielder's mentality at a time when Keane - who isn't the only Red Devils icon to aim criticism at Fernandes this season - has questioned his commitment and fight.
Despite Keane's criticism and the woeful situation Ruben Amorim's men find themselves in, the Portuguese star - while not being at his best this season - has been a rare bright light for United this term with 23 goal involvements from 39 matches.
Since joining Old Trafford from Sporting CP in January 2020 for a reported fee of £47 million, the 30-year-old has become the club's most important player, notching up 89 goals and assisting 79 times in 272 games, bagging an FA Cup and an EFL Cup along the way. Nevertheless, Keane's sharp comments come against the backdrop of one of the Red Devils' bleakest Premier League campaigns.
With Amorim at the helm since November, taking over from Erik ten Hag, United are languishing at 14th in the table, managing only nine wins and suffering 12 defeats out of 27 matches this season. Despite being reduced to 10 men after 43 minutes, the club managed a 3-2 victory over Ipswich Town in their latest match on Wednesday evening.
United are set to take on Fulham in the FA Cup's fifth round this Sunday before heading off to face Real Sociedad in the Europa League on Thursday. They will then return to Premier League action against second-place Arsenal at the Theatre of Dreams next Sunday.