Roy Keane’s rants can be taken with a pinch of salt, and his remarkable attack on Bruno Fernandes at the weekend was no exception.
A few hours before Manchester United took on Manchester City, Keane hit out at Fernandes for his response to criticism of his record against the ‘big six’.
He told the Portuguese to “stop acting like a baby” and warned him to “be ready” if he didn’t perform in the derby.
A few hours later, Keane’s rant had not aged well as Fernandes scored a penalty early on in a 2-0 win for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side.
But recent developments suggest that, amongst all the noise, Keane did have a point in one aspect of the discussion with Micah Richards and Graeme Souness.
Keane accused Fernandes of a “disrespectful” attitude towards team-mates, both when he is substituted and when things don’t go his way on the pitch.
Keane said: “If I was coming on and the player coming off is shaking his head, I’d feel disrespected, as if he’s saying, ‘I’m coming off for you?’
“You’d have a quiet word with him in the dressing room, and he’s done it a number of times, so he’s on about maturity and defending his team-mates, but show respect to your team-mates and when you do have a bad game, don’t be throwing your arms in the air when you’re substituted.”
In response, Micah Richards declared: “He’s frustrated that he believes they should be winning the title and when he’s playing with certain players in the team that are not playing at the same level he’s playing at, it’s frustration.”
It seems Richards was spot on, with The Sun now claiming Fernandes is demanding transfer assurances before signing a new deal at the club.
He wants to know about the Red Devils’ transfer plans to get back to the top before committing his long-term future to the club.
But Keane warned Fernandes that in order to be a “great player” it is down to him to improve those around him rather than showing his frustration.
Keane added: “But the great players, he wants to be a great player, the real top players make the lads around them better, that’s part of his responsibility.”
And that message now rings true with news regarding Fernandes’ stance on his future.
Whilst some frustration could be understandable, he would be wise to take Keane’s advice and focus on doing what more he can to help drag his team-mates up to his level.
He silenced Keane at the weekend but may still have some way to go to win him over and justify his reported contract stance.
