Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes has revealed how the stark criticism of him by legend Roy Keane has driven him to improve on the pitch, MySportDab Reports.
Fernandes was instrumental in United’s 3-0 win against Leicester City in the Premier League, where he scored and assisted for Rasmus Hojlund and Alejandro Garnacho.
It was the ninth occasion he has notched at least three goal involvements in a single match for United, with two of those instances in the last two games, against Leicester and Real Sociedad.
The Portuguese playmaker now has 112 goal involvements in the Premier League; only Ruud van Nistelrooy has scored more as he enters United’s top 10 of players in the competition.
He also became just the sixth player in club history to notch 50 assists in the Premier League, joining Ryan Giggs, Wayne Rooney, David Beckham, Paul Scholes and Eric Cantona.
Fernandes was United’s most dangerous attacking threat in an otherwise disappointing season and he has come in for criticism from former captain Keane, who claimed he isn’t a leader and questioning his fight on the Stick To Football podcast. Keane told Sky Sports that “talent is never enough” and highlighted potential issues with Fernandes as captain.
But under Ruben Amorim, the midfielder has responded with some style, helping to force a 1-1 draw against Arsenal before scoring a hat-trick in United’s Europa League win over Real Sociedad.
“Clearly, it’s not good to hear those things about you, but at the same time, it motivates you,” Fernandes told Sky Sports. “I have a lot of respect for Roy Keane, he probably knows a fair bit about the game, but we know there is always improvement in my game, my leadership, everything I do in my life.”
