Andy Cole disagrees with Roy Keane over much-criticised Man Utd star

Andy Cole has disagreed with fellow Manchester United great Roy Keane over Bruno Fernandes. Fernandes has come in for criticism aplenty this season having taken over captaincy responsibilities at Old Trafford.

The Portuguese superstar has been one of the sources of true quality at United over recent years, but he has struggled to show his best form so far this season. Fernandes has scored six and assisted five, while he scored 14 and assisted 15 across all competitions last season.

Former United star Keane recently took aim at Fernandes during his appearance on the Stick to Football podcast, saying: "If you watch him at international level, he does the same thing [floating around].

"It can't all be the coaches and managers. There's a player out there and if he's doing all that stuff and still producing magic, you almost forgive him. But if you're in a struggling team and you’re doing all that stuff, that’s where it stands out.

"And you go 'you're killing us, you’re costing us'. I reckon if you look back at his career, he’s done it in every team. It’s a trait. It’s not as if he’s an experienced player - leopards and spots. He’d get away with it if United were winning more matches and he was producing his bits of magic, which he's done before."

But fellow United favourite Cole has hit back at those claims during an interview with Bertfred, believing United's struggles as a collective have not helped Fernandes. “What is a great player? When you say somebody is or isn’t a great player, that’s your perception," said the former striker. "How do you define a great player? People agree and disagree over who’s a great player all the time. It’s all down to perception. 

“Put it this way, if Bruno was in a team that was winning week in, week out, then would the perception of him not being a great player change? 100% it would. I understand why he tries to do too much on the pitch for Manchester United because he’s frustrated about the position that the club finds itself in at the moment.”