Roy Keane has called Bruno Fernandes "a baby" after the Manchester United midfielder hit back at critics who questioned his record against the Premier League's 'top six' teams this season.
The former United captain, who was appearing as a pundit on Sky Sports ahead of Sunday's Manchester Derby, also told Fernandes to "get on with it" after his interview broadcast earlier this week.
"Don't be such a baby and produce against this brilliant Manchester City team, end of story." Keane said in the segment.
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"If he does well we praise him, if he doesn't...he better be ready!"
It has been a quite remarkable campaign for the Portuguese midfielder.
He's scored 22 goals in 40 appearances across all competitions this season but despite his run of form under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, many have taken aim at Fernandes' influence against the bigger teams.
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Fernandes has scored just one goal and zero assists against the top six this season, which was in Manchester United's 1-6 loss to Tottenham.
He may have been Manchester United's player this season so far, with many placing him in competition for individual awards at the end of the season, but many are still not convinced with those performances when it matter most.
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Bruno, meanwhile, has now responded to those claims and he hasn't held back.
"I don't know what people mean by 'top six', because the teams are in top six in the table,' Fernandes told Sky Sports.
"I score and assist against some of them. I score this season against Tottenham. But some people say penalties don't count!
"I know people expect Bruno to score or assist in every game because when I arrived, I was playing really well. If you see my stats, everyone is thinking that Bruno has to score in every game, Bruno has to assist in every game.
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'And I want to do that - it's the most important thing. But as a player, I don't look for the big six or the rest of the league. I look for every game in the same way. And I think the league is not a sprint, it's a marathon. So you don't have to score or win against the big six - you have to score and win against everyone.
Fernandes continued, saying: "I see people talking about Bruno not doing so well against the 'big six'. People have said Bruno gives the ball away too many times when we lose a game.
"Also, in the game against Basaksehir, I scored two goals and I lost more balls than their team, but people said I was the best player in the game. So, what is the point?
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"But I agree the last two games, I didn't play very well. And I don't need to see the stats to see if I play well or not. I know when I play well or not.
"I saw an interview from Luke [Shaw] saying, 'people now care more about stats than the performance'. And this is the truth. Because now they're expecting from me just goals and assists, and not performances.
"They don't care about the performance of Bruno, they don't care about ball recovery or how many chances I create, because I can create 10 chances but if I don't score, people will say Bruno didn't play very well.
"But this is football. Football is in the moment. Some people have said I'm playing bad, and that I have to do better. And I agree, because we always can do better. But for me, it's OK. I can have that pressure on my back.
"I'm sure in some moments, I will score, I will assist, and I will perform. And that will help my teammates to win the game."
Thoughts on Keane's comments about Fernandes?
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Featured Image Credit:Topics: Manchester City, Bruno Fernandes, Football, Manchester United, Premier League, Roy Keane
