Manchester United's Fred solves Solskjaer's midfield dilemma

The year is 2018, Pep Guardiola's Manchester City and Jose Mourinho's Manchester United are battling it out to sign Shakhtar Donetsk midfielder Fred. Guardiola is looking at Fred as a potential successor to the ageing Fernandinho, while Jose Mourinho believes that Fred could be the final piece of Manchester United's midfield puzzle. 

Fast forward to June 2018 and Manchester United have won the race to sign Fred for a reported £52m fee. Pep Guardiola would then turn his attention to signing Riyad Mahrez from Leicester City for a reported fee of £60m. Manchester United's move to sign Fred was seen as a way of accommodating Paul Pogba in his preferred position on the left side of a midfield three. A midfield of Fred, Nemanja Matic and Paul Pogba, therefore, would ideally run things for United in the centre of the park. 

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Fred off to a rocky start

However, it has been a rough introduction into the Premier League for Fred. The diminutive Brazilian was often derided by fans and pundits alike for his wastefulness with the ball. Former Man United players Roy Keane and Gary Neville heavily criticised the Brazilian, while former Arsenal player Martin Keown even went so far as to say that it was almost a joke every time Fred would get the ball. 

Fred's form in recent weeks, however, paints another picture. With Paul Pogba sidelined, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been forced to play Fred in midfield along with young Scottish midfielder Scott McTominay. While the Brazilian may have made a slow start to his United career, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer opted to start Fred in midfield during Manchester United's game against Liverpool. The game ended in a 1-1 draw, and Fred was decent in possession during the game. 

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United's game against Brighton on Premier League Matchday 12, however, was when Fred really came to the fore. With Scott McTominay in impressive form, it seems like some of that form has rubbed on to Fred in recent weeks. The Brazilian was impressive both, defensively as well as going forward against a Brighton side that had beaten Tottenham in the Premier League this season. In fact, it was Fred's defence-splitting pass that sparked the attack that led to United's opener during the 3-1 win at Old Trafford. Fred once again showed why Mourinho pined for his signature in July 2018, when he played another penetrating ball onto Anthony Martial's path, who then set up Marcus Rashford to score United's third of the night against Brighton. 

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With Paul Pogba expected to make his Manchester United return in a couple of weeks, United could still revert to a 4-3-3, with a midfield three of Fred, Scott McTominay and Paul Pogba. While Fred may have deserved the criticism coming his way early in his United career, foreign players have always taken time to adjust to the Premier League. Just take the case of Fabinho, for example. Liverpool signed Fabinho in May 2018, just after their defeat to Real Madrid in the Champions League final. However, his first start for the Reds came in the last week of October that season. Since then, he has gone on to become a mainstay in the midfield and has yet to lose a game in a Liverpool shirt.

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