Manchester United are in the middle of one of their worst seasons in recent history with Ruben Amorim’s side stumped in the bottom half of the Premier League table.
The quality across Amorim’s first team squad is arguably the weakest it’s been since the inception of the Premier League and United are desperate to get to the end of the campaign to reassess in the summer.
Former United captain Roy Keane has been less than impressed with what he’s seen from United this season and launched an x-rated attacked on the players, with captain Bruno Fernandes coming in for particular criticism.
Speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, Keane was involved in a heated discussion with Arsenal legend Ian Wright on the current state of the United squad and didn’t hold back in his assessment.
“Talent’s not enough to play for a big club!” 😡
Roy and Wrighty clash over Bruno Fernandes’ impact as Man Utd captain! 😳
Is this the most explosive moment in Stick to Football history? 👀 pic.twitter.com/vzSQNcRIWV
— The Overlap (@WeAreTheOverlap) February 27, 2025
Keane cited United’s recent draw at Everton and the late FA Cup success against Leicester City as examples of the lack of desire in the side and picked out Fernandes, despite his individual moments saving both games.
“They draw at Everton, it’s like they won the cup. It’s f-cking bizarre. I see fans at matches and they’re singing for Bruno and I see these boys and I’m thinking ‘you’re f-cking imposters.’
We watched them in the FA Cup a few weeks ago. I watched them at Everton on Saturday. People pretend to be closing people down,” he said.
Wright replied that if it wasn’t for Fernandes United would be in a much worse position than they are now and claims Bruno is the last player Keane should be singling out.
However, the former United captain was not for turning and continued his critique the 30-year-old, who he feels needs to be doing more on the field.
“Save us, they’re 15th in the league, and he’s saving them? Praise the lord. Bruno is a talented player but talent is not enough. What’s he saving? 2-2 at Everton,” said Keane.
The Irishman also had strong words for Harry Maguire who he claimed “couldn’t even jump” in one of United’s recent games and said the squad as a whole must take responsibility for the poor performances this year.
“Forget the board and all that for a second. The players will walk on the pitch, so who do you start pointing fingers at? At some stage, players have to look at themselves in the mirror. Listen you’re 15th, 16th in the league,” he added.
Keane’s passionate rant will no doubt resonate with United fans but the truth is, without Fernandes, Amorim’s start to life at Old Trafford could have been a lot worse.
It was only Fernandes’ quality from dead balls that saved United from another horror show last night as lowly Ipswich Town could very easily have left Theatre of Dreams with something after another turbulent 90 minutes in front of home support.
Featured image Shaun Botterill via Getty Images
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Conner Botterill
Conner Botterill has been with The Peoples Person for two years. A keen match-going red with degrees in Sport and Journalism and Philosophy and Psychology, Conner still believes he has a chance of making United’s first team through his 5-a-side career.
