Roy Keane and Ian Wright have clashed over Bruno Fernandes and whether he is a good influence in the Manchester United dressing room.

Fernandes, 29, has been one of the bright sparks at Old Trafford in recent years, adding 143 goal contributions in 229 games since his 2020 move from Sporting Lisbon.

The Portuguese midfielder has again been a standout star for United this time around in what has been a chaotic and underwhelming campaign, with Erik ten Hag's side marred by problems both on and off the pitch. 

Fernandes was appointed as captain last summer but he has been regularly lambasted for his body language and attitude towards team-mates on the pitch, leading to a debate over whether the 29-year-old should keep the armband and remain the leading voice in United's dressing room.

And, Arsenal icon Wright leapt to the defence of Fernandes - who scored twice in United's 4-2 win over Sheffield United on Wednesday - and felt he is one of the best things about the club right now. 

Roy Keane (left) and Ian Wright (right) were involved in a fiery exchange over Bruno Fernandes

'I think Bruno is a winner,' he said on the Stick to Football podcast, brought to you by Sky Bet. 

'He's frustrated. Whatever we say, he has his faults where he waves his arms up but he's the kind of player that is trying (to change things).'

However, the no-nonsense Keane took umbrage at Wright's claims as the pair locked horns over the 29-year-old.

He said: 'He's won nothing in his career, he's 29 years of age. What has he won in his career?'

Wright responded: '(I appreciate) he's won nothing. But, irrespective of wanting to be a winner, his standards are high.

'If you take Bruno out of Man United we're talking about players who haven't improved. If he's not doing what he's doing United are nowhere near where they are.'

Wright also went onto acknowledge Fernandes' on-pitch antics aren't ideal, but insisted they were more than justified. 

He added: 'He's frustrated, he probably sees it in training every day, people not up to the standards of what he's looking for and it spills over into a Saturday. 

'Because he (still) brings 'it' when we say about his histrionics, he brings it. If Man United are saved in a game it's probably him who's going to do it. He's got every right to be upset with them because they should be doing better.'

Keane then got his side of the argument across, as he admitted his appreciation of Fernandes' qualities, but questioned his impact on Ten Hag's side more generally.

'I think he is a talented boy,' he added. 'But does he help people out and does he make others around him better? 

'The answer is 100 per cent no. He does like to dig them out, which is fine, but you've also got to drag the others along.

'Would you like to be in that United dressing room today with these guys going... "not sure about him, I think he's OK when we're winning but we're not going to be winning every time". 

'How do you stop that momentum and flex your muscles in games? That's what I want. 

'We talk about talented players but sometimes it's about personalities in big games and getting you over the line in big games.' 

However, Wright remained steadfast in his opinion and continued to clash with Keane in the fiery exchange as he said: 'Bruno has got that,' before the Irishman retorted: 'Where is the evidence? Where is the evidence?'

Wright then added: 'The way he plays and the way he saves the club.'

This further riled up Keane as he said: 'Saves the club? Look, he's won nothing in his career. He's won nothing in his career. Look at his CV. if he's one of your best players there's a responsibility.'

The Arsenal icon backed up his view again, insisting Fernandes 'leads by example' on the pitch and felt it was unfair to single out the Portuguese for criticism given his contributions, before Keane brought the argument to a close as he said: 'Example? There's more to the game than that.' 

Roy Keane and Ian Wright were speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, brought to you by Sky Bet.