Roy Keane accuses Bruno Fernandes of 'letting down' Erik ten Hag at Manchester United

Manchester United icon Roy Keane has slammed club captain Bruno Fernandes over his 'apology' and accused him of playing a considerable role in the sacking of Erik ten Hag. The Dutchman was sacked on Monday and replaced with Portuguese tactician Ruben Amorim, who will take over on November 11.

Bruno Fernandes apologized to Erik ten Hag amid Manchester United sacking

Manchester United’s decision to sack Ten Hag was only a matter of time after last season. The Red Devils finished 8th with 60 points and a goal difference of -1. It was the worst finish in the club's history in the Premier League era.

Despite this, an FA Cup final win against Manchester City led to Ten Hag being handed a 12-month contract extension in the hopes that the trophy triumph would be a huge confidence booster and with a good summer window, he could finally turn things around.

However, Manchester United were 14th in the table when Ten Hag was dismissed, and also 21st in the Europa League table and hadn’t won a single match in Europe. A 2-1 defeat to West Ham was the final nail in the coffin of the Ten Hag era, and he got the sack, which was inevitable. 

After Manchester United’s 1-1 draw against Chelsea last night under interim boss Ruud van Nistelrooy, Bruno Fernandes revealed that he apologized to Ten Hag for letting him down with his performances this season and believed he had a role to play for it (via Football 365):

“When you see a manager go you have to look at the mirror first. I spoke with Erik Ten Hag, and I told him I apologize. I feel disappointed I couldn’t do more for him. We should’ve done better. I wasn’t scoring goals and I felt responsibility as I’m normally a player with a lot of goals and assists. The main thing is he’s aware of that. Every week is challenging, it doesn’t matter if you win or lose. It’s a different week because we know Erik is gone.”

Fernandes added:


“It’s not good for anyone at the club when a manager goes because it means that the positions where the team is is not the best, the results are not the best. We are all disappointed by that; you always have to take a little bit of the blame on yourself."

Too Little Too Late

Roy Keane being his usual straightforward self, claimed that the apology Fernandes presented might just be too little too late, and he believes that the Portuguese does not really have any concern about the Dutchman’s sacking. The Irishman further claimed that when the going got tougher under Ten Hag, Bruno as a captain did not step up and exhibit any leadership and instead showed a lack of character (via Sky Sports):

“These are always awkward interviews for players, but I wouldn’t have much time and patience for the player to say, ‘Listen, sorry, we let you down."

“We’ll judge what you’re doing on the football pitch. I don’t think Bruno has done enough in a lot of the games already. He didn’t show that leadership. So, it would be interesting to hear what Ten Hag has to say about it. But you also have to move on. A lot of players don’t care that much when a manager goes. They just focus on the next manager and get ready, look after themselves.

“Players can be selfish, we know that, but I don’t think Bruno done enough as a captain of Man United over the last year or two to help the manager out. Far from it. The proof’s there with all the results. It’s not just on Bruno, of course, but I don’t think he showed enough leadership skills when the going got tough with some of the performances. “

“I don’t think Bruno should be too proud of himself, of what’s happened to the manager over the last week or two. I think the players let the manager down ultimately,"

Ruben Amorim starts his tenure at Old Trafford on November 11, and Ruud Van Nistelrooy's last game as interim manager of Manchester United will be against Leicester City a day before. It remains to be seen whether the Dutchman will resume his assistant job once the Portuguese coach arrives.