In 2018, Manchester United have confirmed they agreed to a
deal with Shakhtar Donetsk to sign the Brazil midfielder Fred at the cost of£50
million. Fred set foot at Old Trafford with a lot of expectations. Normally,
whenever you sign a Brazilian, the expectations of a better outcome always
exist and the club is one of the historic ones in club football, the level
reaches its peak. The scouts of Manchester United tracked down Fred, while he
was playing in Ukraine and discovered that he could be a very good solution to
Manchester United’s midfield.
Jose Mourinho had been on charge when Fred started off his
journey at Old Trafford. He played Fred, but the desired results never came. He
was playing the role of a pivot, from where he struggled to hold the team
together and in a fast-paced game in England, he proved to be a bit slower than
others. Fred was simply failing to catch-up with the tempo of the Premier
League. Mourinho left, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer took over. But nothing was changing
for Fred – he delivered good-performances in few matches, while in the rest, he
was below-par. Also, injuries dented his progress.
When a team fails, the finger-pointing and blame-game always
are always gifted to the manager and under-performers. In that sense, Fred had
to digest a heavy criticism. He was termed as a joke as the fans thought him to
be an extra-baggage. The Brazilian, still, did not lose heart and stuck to his
task. Ole showed a bit more faith in him and from a joke, at present, he has
become the cornerstone of this Manchester United side’s midfield.
In the last couple of weeks, Fred has been proving himself
as a player of real substance.
Despite the frustrating results against ordinary
oppositions, Ole’s men showed real character against Manchester City and
Tottenham Hotspur in Premier League and AZ Alkmaar in the Europa League.
Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial, Mason Greenwood, and co,
delivered the goals, but their freedom during the counter would never have been
a surety had someone like Fred not worked as a fulcrum in the midfield.
Fred formed a formidable partnership with Scott McTominay –
their roles as a double pivot changed the dynamics of Manchester United
midfield. They gave the backline the much-needed assurance, while in the
meantime recycled possession and set the tempo, allowing the forward to
flourish. Then they play a key role in breaking up the play and thus bosses the
center-park with authority.
Many might not agree with the idea of having two pivots in
central-midfield area, but if a team wishes it’s forwards to flourish, the
value of two pivots can never be undermined. Zinedine Zidane is getting the
results by playing Fede Valverde and Casemiro together and Ole opted for Fred
and McTominay – an option, which was unthinkable a year back.
Fred has overcome the obstacles and gradually, he is proving
himself as a worthy member of Manchester United. Critics would be there to tear
him apart alongside those racist actions, but Fred has learned to move on and
deliver. What he needs to do now is to maintain his fitness and consistency level.
Note: This article has been posted at Cricketsoccer on CSdesk Fred has started to strike the right chord at Old Trafford
Thank You
Faisal Caesar
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