Roy Keane has revealed he shared a "lovely chat" with Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes, bringing an end to a public disagreement that had played out over the past few weeks.

The dispute was sparked when Keane, speaking on The Overlap podcast, claimed Fernandes had stated in an interview that he deliberately chose to pass rather than shoot while chasing the Premier League assist record. Fernandes publicly pushed back, accusing Keane of telling a "lie" — his actual remarks had been the opposite of what the former United skipper described.

A mature resolution

Fernandes raised the issue during an appearance on The Diary of a CEO podcast, where he also expressed a wish to speak directly with the 54-year-old pundit. Keane confirmed on Wednesday's Stick to Football podcast that the conversation duly took place.

"There was a reaction after what we said on the podcast a few weeks ago and he reached out to me and wanted a chat," Keane said. "I called him and we had a lovely chat. A lovely chat about a bit of everything. We had a nice, mature conversation."

Keane also quipped that Fernandes had apologised — before clarifying he was joking. "He apologised, I forgave him, no problem," Keane said with a laugh. "But no, it was a good chat."

The former United captain added that he values keeping some distance from current players, but felt it was important to respond when Fernandes reached out. "I felt better afterwards," Keane said.

A record-breaking season

The backdrop to the row was a remarkable campaign for Fernandes, who set a new Premier League assist record this season, surpassing the previous benchmark of 20 set by Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne.

United target Mateus Fernandes

Meanwhile, Manchester United are exploring a potential deal for West Ham midfielder Mateus Fernandes. Sky Sports News understands West Ham value the Portuguese midfielder at around £80 million and are in no rush to sell, having signed him for an initial fee of £38 million last summer.

United are continuing to do background work on the player, with midfield reinforcement a priority this transfer window. The club have already agreed a £38 million deal to sign Atalanta midfielder Ederson.