Fred: Is he Manchester United’s most underrated player at Old Trafford

Fred’s future at Old Trafford seems more unclear despite an improvement in performances.

If there is any player who has every right to question Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and the board about why he is not getting game time, it is the Brazilian midfielder Fred.

Jose Mourinho signed Fred from Shakhtar Donetsk for a fee of €59 million. After a tough start to life at Old Trafford, Fred started looking like the player for which Manchester United shelled out €59m for.

Sadly, when things seemed to be going well for the player the pandemic had different plans for him. From a regular starter, he fell further down the pecking order due to the return of injured players. Furthermore, the signing of Donny van de Beek from Ajax creates further problems for the Brazilian.

In his first season at Old Trafford, Fred featured in just 17 games. He was a bench player and only managed to get thirteen starts in 38 outings. It got so bad at times, ex-manager Mourinho even withdrew him at half-time in several games as the team looked vulnerable when he was on the pitch.

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The team ended in sixth place after Manchester United had a disastrous start to the season. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer gave the impression they would finish in the top-four after taking over but injuries to Ander Herrera and other starters damaged the club’s hopes.

When it seemed like it was the end of the road for Fred, an injury to Paul Pogba in the 2019/20 season was a massive gain for the Brazilian. In his first few starts, he appeared shaky but with regular playing time, he grew in confidence. Before the pandemic spread, Fred had 22 starts to his name.

Everybody was happy with the Premier League’s “Project Restart” but Fred had reason to be unhappy with it. He and all players in a situation similar to his. The player who had started every game since mid-October was reduced to a bench role… Again!

After the fixture against Tottenham, Fred didn’t start any of the Premier League game as Matic and Pogba gave much-required stability to the midfield.