When it comes to TV punditry, few capture your attention more than Roy Keane.
The former Manchester United captain is immensely popular for his knowledge and calling a spade a spade. Sky have produced various montages down the years of his most famous rants.
His latest, however, will probably leave plenty of United supporters scratching their heads, with Keane getting into a very heated debate with Ian Wright about Bruno Fernandes.
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The United captain has been a shining light in what has been more than a decade of darkness. Signed in January 2020, he has been the best signing of the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era by a considerable distance.
However, Keane got into a very passionate and heated debate with Wright on the latest episode of " target="_blank" class="link"> The Overlap, taking aim at Fernandes and other members of the squad.
"The level of the fans, I see fans singing for Bruno," said Keane. "I see these boys, and I think they're f*****g imposters."
Wright responded: "No, bro, not Bruno."
Keane was having none of it, replying: "Wrighty, do you know what? I've had enough of that rubbish, man. You watch Arsenal every week, and we focus more on United.
"We watched him at Leicester and the FA Cup a few weeks ago. I watched him at Everton on Saturday. People pretend to be closing people down."
With the conversation becoming heated, Wright quipped: "Who's bringing you back into the game? You can't; it's not Bruno, Roy. We're talking about someone who can actually do something to save you a lot. It's Bruno who's doing it."
"We're 15th in the league, and he's saving them. Praise the Lord," Keane replied.
"Say if he wasn't there, where would you be?" Wright asked.
The answer to the former Arsenal and England's striker question is 16th, just six points clear of the relegation zone. After being credited with one assist in United's 3-2 win over Ipswich Town at Old Trafford on Wednesday night, Fernandes has now been directly involved in 13 Premier League goals this season, scoring six and creating seven.
Of those 13 direct goal contributions, six have been directly responsible for earning United nine points this season. Without them, United would currently find themselves sitting 16th on 24 points, just two points ahead of 17th-placed Wolves.
Of course, it goes without saying that nobody in a United shirt has enjoyed an outstanding campaign this season. Far too many members of the squad have had a passive season that has contributed to the club's collective struggles.
Nevertheless, Fernandes has scored ten goals and registered 13 assists in all competitions, highlighting that the squad has far, far bigger issues than him. The Portuguese international has scored 89 goals and racked up 79 assists since joining United five years ago.
Considering United have struggled collectively for much of that period, Fernandes' numbers are impressive. A player of his talent has been worthy of much more.
Fernandes was awarded the United captaincy on a permanent basis in July 2023 after deputising for Harry Maguire for much of the 2022/23 campaign. He has often generated debate about whether or not he is suited to the captain's armband, but who would be a better option from the current squad of players?
Keane, continuing his debate with Wright, added that talent is not necessarily enough in this United team.
"I'll go back to it; talent is not enough. You keep going back to talent, oh the talent. Bruno's a talented player, but talent is not enough," he said.
"In the dressing room, you said Tony Adams was this, Tony Adams was that. Because he was a fighter. You've got young players; you have to look at somebody and go, I like what he does. You want someone who is saying, lads, are you with me?"
Wright responded: "Maybe he's not that captain, Roy. But he's saving you, playing that pass, the goal."
Captains of Adams' ilk are few and far between nowadays. Football has evolved in a way that means not many players are cut from the same cloth as Adams was.
Fernandes channels his passion and leadership in a different way. He is a first-class professional, often running himself into the ground in an attempt to lead by example.
He also often finds himself fronting up to the media after a bad result. He rarely pulls any punches. Of course, Fernandes is not perfect, with his persona with referees often coming under scrutiny, but his talent levels make up for that.
Fernandes has consistently been United's best player over the last few seasons and he warrants more respect than what Keane has given him - and not for the first time.
