Roy Keane digs out captain Bruno Fernandes after Man City outclass United at Old Trafford
City dominated as they often do, but Keane didn't see the kind of reaction you'd want from United players in a big game — especially from one man in particular.
Manchester United legend Roy Keane had little positive to say about his former team’s performance against Manchester City in the derby on Sunday but chose to dig out club captain Bruno Fernandes, in particular, during his disappointed post-match analysis.
The ex-Man United midfielder has never been one to shy away from criticising the Red Devils even when he was still at the club, so after Pep Guardiola‘s side cruised to a comfortable 3-0 win over the home side in the Manchester derby, Keane was brutally honest as usual, with Fernandes receiving the brunt of it.
Speaking on the panel alongside Jamie Carragher, Micah Richards and former teammate Gary Neville, Keane began by stating that the fact “one bad decision seems to follow another” is symptomatic of the overall problem at the club, which he admits is in stark contrast to the days under Sir Alex Ferguson.
The 52-year-old then went on to insist that they’re taking the backroom and structural “chaos… onto the pitch” and after Carragher insisted Erik ten Hag has got it wrong, stating that “Bruno Fernandes should not be a captain”, Keane went on to say that it “should be taken off him”.
"He's the opposite to what I would want in a captain!"
Acknowledging that ten Hag has already stripped one player of the captaincy after struggling to perform this season in Harry Maguire and that to do so again might be a big decision, the Irishman went on to argue that “Fernandes is not captain material”.
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Taking issue with the Portuguese player’s behaviour on the pitch as opposed to his ability — confessing “he’s a talented player, no doubt about it” — Keane says that Bruno’s “whinging, moaning [and] throwing his arms up in the air constantly” isn’t acceptable from a leadership figure, adding that his demeanour this weekend was just one example of something that has been noted “many times before”.
The former player and coach turned pundit summarised by saying that based on what he saw on Sunday, he would take the captain’s armband away from the 29-year-old moving forward, going so far as to say, “he’s the opposite to what I would want in a captain”.
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Fernandes only earned the captaincy back in July after the manager saw fit to remove the stress of the position from Maguire’s shoulders given his ongoing struggles with form and confidence, and it’s safe to say it wouldn’t look great for the Dutchman to change his mind once again so soon after. You can watch the Manchester derby debrief in full here.
Nevertheless, a former club captain himself, Keane said ten Hag can comfortably hold his hands up and say, “I got it wrong”, and that this step is a crucially feasible one for him to take, whereas questions surrounding ownership, the board and so on are simply aren’t within his power.
Keano’s criticism didn’t stop there either, as he described the entire showing as “a really poor day at the office for them – very, very poor”, remarking that “they are so far off it, it is hard to watch.”
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He signed off by saying that you simply “never know what you’re going to get with Man United” from week to week and that this isn’t something you can accept if you want to be a big club challenging for silverware.
To make matters worse, Man City‘s latest derby day victory made for a less-than-appealing record for their neighbours, as it also marked United’s 34th defeat at home since Sir Alex retired — the same amount of games he lost there in his entire 26 years at the club.
Manchester United Premier League losses at Old Trafford under Sir Alex Ferguson: 34
Manchester United Premier League losses at Old Trafford since he retired: 34
Featured Images — Sky Sports/Man United/Man City (via X)
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Erling Haaland dresses up as Santa and hands out Christmas presents in Greater Manchester
Danny Jones
Manchester City star Erling Haaland has doubled as Father Christmas in his latest YouTube stunt, dressing up as Santa and handing out presents to local kids in the new episode.
We’re starting to think he might be one of the most likeable footballers on the planet right now.
The Norwegian footballer recently surpassed Alan Shearer’s ‘fastest to 100 goals record’ in the Premier League and has been well and truly back to his best as Man City continue to rediscover their form, but the big blonde number nine has been delighting both on and off the pitch of late.
For starters, even before any of the season’s givings began, we got the giggle just from our first glimpse of the thumbnail.
Yes, Haaland definitely has a habit of leaning into the humorous side of his celebrity status, having already dressed up as the Joker for Halloween in one of the first episodes published on his still relatively new YouTube channel.
However, the 25-year-old got up to some more heartwarming activities this time around, swapping the face paint, green wig and stripey suit for a red coat, hat, some little glasses and a big white beard.
With the video itself showing him getting into character and loading his car with a sack full of presents, he then goes on to visit multiple houses to dish out the surprise gifts.
While the title and description state that he drove around the streets of 0161, it’s hard to tell where exactly he went, but we’d guess it was more around Alderley Edge and/or the Cheshire side of the Greater Manchester borders.
One particular interaction between the disguised Blue and a young Red certainly produced a harmless little bit of comedy…
Either way, on the whole, this particular instalment was more wholesome than it was funny, and it’s always nice to see sports personalities and famous people spreading kindness.
Obviously, not everyone can afford to be as generous as a Premier League and world-famous international athlete, but it’s nevertheless a nice touch.
Featured Images — Erling Haaland (screenshots via YouTube)
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Kobbie Mainoo’s brother sends three-word message to Man United after Old Trafford stunt
Danny Jones
Kobbie Mainoo’s brother, Jordan Kwadwo Osei Mainoo-Hames, has caused quite a stir online after sending a simple but definitive three-word message to Manchester United and head coach Ruben Amorim, in the form of a publicity stunt.
In case you missed the blockbuster eight-goal thriller at Old Trafford on Monday night, the scoreline wasn’t the only headline on the night.
Man United managed to give up their one-nil lead right on two separate occasions, and despite clawing their way back to 4-3 with just over 10 minutes of regulation time left on the clock, ultimately went on to concede an equaliser in the 84th minute.
Despite Kobbie Mainoo’s receiving a rapturous round of cheers and applause when he was subbed on in the second half, not to mention adding some real dynamism in the middle of the park, any notion of his contribution has now been overshadowed by his sibling.
As you can see, Jordan Mainoo-Hames – who found fame after appearing on series five of reality TV show Love Island (2019) – took the opportunity to capitalise on the ongoing narrative regarding Kobbie and his relationship with the current United boss.
For months now, there has been much speculation around whether the Stockport-born youth product will stay at his boyhood club or leave in the next couple of transfer windows, given that he’s only been afforded limited minutes under the Portuguese manager.
Amorim, who has collected just 24 Premier League points since arriving last November, maintains that he recognises Mainoo’s but, crucially, sees him as competing for the same position as Bruno Fernandes.
Now a model for a number of big brands, he’s no stranger to posing in clothes, but in this case, it all centred around a simple black t-shirt simply reading ‘Free Kobbie Mainoo’ in plain white text, seemingly imitating Nike’s ‘Just Do It’ font.
Safe to say that despite catching the eye of plenty in and around the stadium, as well as countless more online, it hasn’t gone down particularly well with a good chunk of the supporters.
Even neutrals have hopped on social media to label the stunt everything from “embarrassing” and causing an “unnecessary” distraction to urging the 20-year-old to distance himself from the stunt and/or his half-brother.
Utter nonsense. His brother turning up at Old Trafford in a ‘Free Kobbie Mainoo’ tee is pure embarrassment. Clout-chasing disguised as support, when the player’s interests should be the priority. We’ve seen this playbook from families before… https://t.co/9p5uognVsX
For many fans, the incident was reminiscent of the Alejandro Garnacho situation: another promising youngster whose family’s outspoken nature on social media, along with his own, ultimately soured his relationship with Amorim to the point of leaving the club this past summer.
Rather notably, Garnacho ruffled even more feathers earlier this month after responding to a question about any potential regrets over how his time at the club ended…
As for his former fellow academy graduate, it is looking increasingly likely that he may at least leave on loan this January in search of more regular football, especially with the 2026 World Cup looming.
Whether you’re a Red or not, we’re interested to hear what you make of the whole mess. Let us know down in the comments.
You can see the highlights from the frankly bonkers game against Bournemouth down below.
Danny Jones -
30th October 2023 
