Do you agree? Roy Keane raises a question, stating that Bruno Fernandes' 21st assist should not belong to him, and he explains why he thinks so.
On 25 May 2026, Roy Keane, the former famous Irish midfielder who is now a football pundit, expressed doubt about Bruno Fernandes' 21st assist. The Portuguese captain and midfielder of Manchester United, the "Red Devils," was credited with this assist, but Keane shared his reasons for disputing it.
Roy Keane said, "If we closely examine this game, I have to question this decision. Bruno Fernandes was credited with his 21st assist in the match against Brighton—but is that really accurate? I think it’s not an assist; it’s clearly an own goal by Bart Verbruggen after Patrick Dorgu's header."
"From the footage, Bruno Fernandes crossed the ball in, Patrick Dorgu made a strong header, but the ball wasn’t definitely going into the goal until Bart Verbruggen touched it before it crossed the line. The goalkeeper's touch was critical. According to the rules, this should be recorded as an own goal. However, it seems to have been counted as an assist to give Bruno Fernandes the record for the most assists in Premier League history. This is worrying because we are seeing statistics altered in a way that doesn’t reflect the actual events on the pitch."
"Bruno Fernandes is certainly a technically gifted player, but we shouldn’t award an assist just to boost personal statistics. Back in my playing days, players with many assists like Paul Scholes, David Beckham, and Ryan Giggs delivered outstanding performances with clear and unambiguous contributions."
"If this play is allowed as an assist, it undermines the credibility of Premier League statistics. As I said, Patrick Dorgu won the aerial duel, Bart Verbruggen made a mistake that led to the goal—that’s the fact. Bruno Fernandes did not break the assist record on this occasion. Crediting this assist only creates a distorted narrative. Such decisions and record-keeping are part of the bigger problems we see in modern football."