Roy Keane criticises Bruno Fernandes for 'circus act' in pursuit of assist record

Fernandes equalled the league’s single-season record of 20 assists alongside Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne last weekend, with a chance to now break it at Brighton on Sunday.

CIRCUS ACT: Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes is immensely proud to have joined Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne in the history books. Pic: Martin Rickett/PA Wire.

Roy Keane has criticised Bruno Fernandes’ mindset in his pursuit of the Premier League’s assist record as he called it a “circus act”.

Fernandes set up Bryan Mbeumo for Manchester United’s third goal in Sunday’s 3-2 win over Nottingham Forest, in the process equalling the league’s single-season record of 20 assists alongside Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne, with a chance to now break it at Brighton on Sunday.

But, in a match where United were not certain of victory until the final whistle, there were a number of occasions where Fernandes appeared to pass up opportunities to shoot, instead focusing on finding a team-mate, and Keane took issue with what he saw as individual records being prioritised over team goals.

Speaking on The Overlap, Keane said: “When you’re the captain of a club and you’re supposed to be driving the club forward, do not be getting bogged down by just your role in the team, just assists.

“What I heard at United at the weekend, honestly, I was raging with it. The whole chat about his assists… Everyone, the players were (talking about it), the game was about his assists. That’s the whole thing.

“It’s a circus act!” 😡

Roy had plenty to say about Bruno Fernandes’ assist record on the latest episode of Stick to Football… 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/YlHnQhm7Ou

— The Overlap (@WeAreTheOverlap) May 19, 2026

“After the game he got interviewed and he said, the captain of Manchester United, said ‘A few times, I probably should have… shot but I made the passes’. Wow. How can your mindset be not to win the match but be about an individual record?”

When Gary Neville pointed out that Fernandes said he had turned down lucrative offers to leave United because he is determined to bring more silverware to the club, Keane said he would need to change his mindset for that to happen.

“He won’t be winning trophies, not with that mindset of the team,” he said. “They’re giving up two goals and everyone’s getting all giddy because he’s equalled the record for assists. It’s mind-boggling. It’s a circus act.”

Keane also criticised Fernandes for showing his frustration when his team-mates were unable to finish chances he had created, saying as a captain it should be his role to give encouragement rather than lamenting the fact he had not added to his own statistics.

“Bruno gives a pass and they missed it,” he said. “What did Bruno do after he missed it? He went on the floor. Why is he falling? (He’s disappointed) for himself. His striker is having a difficult spell and missed a couple of chances, and he’s thinking of himself.”