Fred At Manchester United: The Resurrection Of A Brazilian Midfielder’s Career

Remember when Fred was Manchester United’s ‘worst player’? Well, after the manner in which the Old Trafford faithful treated the Brazilian for the early parts of the 21/22 season, his career has taken a turn for the better.

The midfielder improved in his attacking abilities as well as his tireless energy and rambunctious tenacity to put out fires across the pitch.

In one sequence for the equalizing goal at Atletico Madrid away at the Wanda Fred received the ball from midfield then with a quick one-two touch with his left then right foot played in Fernandes who in turn played through Elanga for the goal.

What we saw from Fred last season is perhaps the player that United thought they would get when he was first bought. We are starting to see the fabulous all round capabilities from the extremely likable midfielder.

Fred is predisposed and characterised as a skilful number 6 who can shield the back four, but is also crucial in United’s build-up in terms of carrying the ball from deep or progressive passing as under statistics for the season – he has the second amount of progressive passes behind Bruno Fernandes with 106.

Fred, for a long time, bore the brunt of Manchester United’s vitriol anger, and it has gone under the radar how much he turned his reputation around from ‘we need a better midfielder’ to an unsung hero.

There has been an added confidence to his game in the previous season, the flair and Joga Bonito he always possessed is coming more and more to the fore.

Whether it be nutmegging opponents on the edge of his own penalty area or producing a piece of skill that bamboozled and delighted Old Trafford against Stefan Savic, with Fred being given the freedom to play as a slightly advanced midfielder, it unleashed a whole other side to him and when Fred is playing well the joyful flair oozes from him.

In the following season, United were walloped 6-1 at Old Trafford by Tottenham Hotspur, which saw the emergence of Solskjaer leaning toward the pivot of ‘McFred’ (Scott Mctominay and Fred).

Though the pair receive much criticism they were crucial in the season when United came 2nd in the Premier League and when one doesn’t play without the other or the double pivot doesn’t play United are a more vulnerable team.

Fred is still capable of the erratic game, and when he’s bad he’s extremely bad like the beginning of last season. But aside from the early jitters, Fred was in the form of his life and United fans lamented when he wasn’t in the team.

You could point to his match-winning cameo vs Leeds against as a symbol of his upturn in form, with United rocked after losing a 2-0 lead, Fred pressed Leeds from the front and got United moving up the pitch and scored a spectacular goal to boot.

Erik ten Hag will be looking at Fred as a starter, his pressing from midfield is once again just behind Fernandes as the second most in the team.

If ten Hag is to play the same ‘Guardiola’ style football where control is the aim of the game to suffocate opposition up the pitch with pressing Fred is set to be a vital cog in midfield especially with United still having not signed another defensive midfielder.

United commonly struggle with getting the ball from defence to midfield to attack in an in-sync manner, but with Fred’s ball-carrying, defensive output, lung-bursting energy and newfound ability offensive abilities he was the silver lining in the dark nebula that was Manchester United’s 2021-22 season, and under ten Hag he is a player Fred can become as quintessential to usher in the Dutchman’s era.