Bruno Fernandes angrily says: 'He put words in my mouth, I never said that!'

Bruno Fernandes recently responded strongly to Roy Keane's remarks about him following his assist record in the Premier League. It's a rare moment when the Manchester United captain ended his silence, and what he said was anything but mild.

Silence can sometimes speak louder than any rebuttal. But this time, Bruno Fernandes chose to speak up.

After reaching a milestone equal to Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne in Premier League assists,, the Manchester United captain expected only praise. Instead, he faced accusations from one of Old Trafford's greatest legends: Roy Keane claimed that Bruno was just chasing personal records.

Keane insisted that Bruno himself had admitted it, and that is something the 30-year-old cannot accept.

"What he said is a lie, simple as that.."

Bruno did not beat around the bush. In his latest interview, he directly called what Keane said a "lie," asserting that he never uttered those words. Fortunately, the entire interview was recorded. "Luckily everything was recorded. Otherwise people would think Bruno is chasing an assist record" , he said bluntly.

More interestingly, Bruno also revealed that he contacted Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Keane's close friend and his former coach, to ask for the phone number of the Irish legend. Not to confront him, but to have a frank conversation, like real men.

"I told Ole that I don't mind criticism. What I cannot accept is when people make up my words and put them in my mouth."

Bruno clearly distinguishes between the two boundaries he can accept and cannot. Keane can say Bruno plays badly, is not fit to be captain, or lacks class—he is fully willing to endure that. But fabricating words that were never spoken is a different matter.

"He can judge me, say I'm not good enough, not the captain he wants to see. That's fine. But don't make up my words. That's what I cannot accept."

As for the assist record? Bruno doesn't need to defend himself much. The numbers speak for themselves: he leads the Premier League in chances created since arriving in the league, and his playing style has never changed. "I'm still that Bruno: assessing risk, creating chances, maximizing those around me."

In football, legends sometimes cannot escape the trap of their own fame. And Bruno Fernandes, whether with records or without, is proving by the way he plays—not by words—that he deserves the captain's armband on his arm.