Roy Keane reveals 'mature conversation' with Bruno Fernandes after criticising Man Utd captain during his pursuit of Premier League assists record

The tension between the two Manchester United figures appears to have been resolved after Fernandes reached out to the former Republic of Ireland international. Speaking on the latest episode of the Stick to Football podcast by Sky Bet, Keane confirmed that the duo had a lengthy conversation to move past their recent disagreements.

He said: "There was a reaction after what we said after the podcast a few weeks ago, with what I said about Bruno Fernandes, and he reached out to me, wanted to chat. So I called him and we did have a lovely chat. We had a chat about a bit of everything. When we do podcasts or games... sometimes you're trying to communicate something that doesn't come across properly and people get upset. We had a nice, mature conversation. It was a lovely chat." Keane even joked about the resolution, saying: "He apologised, I forgave him, no problem. But no, it was a good chat."

The friction between the pair reached a boiling point when Fernandes appeared on The Diary of a CEO and explicitly accused the club legend of lying about comments he supposedly made. Keane had previously claimed on The Overlap that Fernandes admitted to passing instead of shooting specifically to chase individual records, a claim the Portuguese playmaker vehemently denied.

Fernandes said: "I don't mind criticism. What I don't like is when people lie about things. This case that you said about Roy Keane, basically what he said is a lie because either he saw some other interview or he can't say that I said one thing that I've just not said."

Before the "lovely chat" took place, the row had even spilled onto social media. Following the accusations of dishonesty, Keane appeared to fire back by posting a cryptic image of a donkey on his Instagram story. The post was widely interpreted as a direct dig at the United skipper's leadership.

Despite the vitriol, Keane now admits that direct communication was the best way forward. "I like having boundaries with players," Keane said. "I don't want to be speaking to players every few weeks. But every now and then a player might reach out, so I think it was good that I spoke to Bruno because there was a lot reported and he's a big player for United. I really enjoyed it and hopefully he did as well. Nice chat about a bit of everything and I felt better afterwards."

While the personal drama has been put to bed, Fernandes' exploits on the pitch during the campaign remain historic. The United captain successfully set a new Premier League single-season assist record, finishing with 21 to surpass the legendary totals previously held by Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne. It was this pursuit that originally drew Keane's ire, as he questioned whether the team was over-focused on helping their captain reach the milestone.

Fernandes has consistently maintained that winning remains his priority, despite the individual accolades. With the air now cleared between him and one of the club's most iconic former captains, the 31-year-old can focus on leading Michael Carrick's side, who are making a welcomed return to the Champions League next season, without the distraction of a public feud hanging over Old Trafford.