Ruben Amorim has dismissed Roy Keane’s criticism of Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes and insisted his opinion is “more important”.
Keane launched into a rant on the latest episode of the Overlap with Portugal midfielder Fernandes facing the Irishman’s wrath.
Former United midfielder Keane said: “I see fans singing for Bruno. I see these boys, and I think they’re f****** imposters.
“You have to have a starting point. I go back to it all – talent is not enough. Bruno’s a talented player, but talent’s not enough.”
Keane’s outburst came despite Fernandes playing a starring role in United’s 3-2 win over Ipswich on Wednesday night.
“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
Amorim sticks up for under-fire Fernandes
And Amorim was quick to defend his skipper ahead of Sunday’s FA Cup fifth-round tie with Fulham.
He said: “I heard about that. I have a different opinion. Bruno is really important for us and the club. He is playing well in a difficult context. He wants always the responsibility.
“I know sometimes as a captain he does things with his arms but most of all it is a lot of frustration for this year and the last year. He wants to win and sometimes it is hard to deal with that frustration.
“Everyone has an opinion. Roy Keane has big standards from his time at the club and it is normal to have an opinion. I have an opposite opinion and I think my opinion is more important than Roy Keane’s because I am the coach.”
Garnacho to cough up after misdemeanour
It has been another week of melodrama at Old Trafford with winger Alejandro Garnacho also receiving flak for walking straight down the tunnel just before half-time against Ipswich having been substituted in the wake of Patrick Dorgu’s red card.
Amorim said he had spoken to Garnacho and revealed the Argentina international would have to treat the team to a meal by way of an apology.
He said: “He came to me, to my office.
“I did some investigation. He [Garnacho] went to the dressing room, watched the game, then went home. It is not an issue but I told him that at Manchester United everything is an issue. At this club, perception is important.
“He will pay for dinner for all the team. That is it.
“He is a young kid that will learn. The important thing is that the next morning he was speaking with me. We have to understand the situation, the context, the age of the players. They have to be better and understand that perception here is really important but like I said you can deal with that the next day and move on. So, let’s move on.”
Amorim disagrees with Ten Hag claim
Amorim’s predecessor Erik ten Hag has also been speaking this week, claiming modern-day players are soft. Amorim sees it differently, though, highlighting the challenges caused by social media and the fact every fan now has a way of voicing their opinion.
He added: “I think it’s completely different for players now. Before it was just newspapers and nothing more. With social media it is completely different. You cannot go on social media without seeing news or a photo or if you read something bad then you focus on that. You can have 100 good things but one bad thing and you will focus on that.
“I think it is really hard for them. You can call it soft but they have access to criticism that is hard to deal with. They need help to deal with that. It’s modern football and they have to be prepared for that.”