Manchester United were dealt a huge selection blow on deadline day when it was confirmed that Christian Eriksen would miss at least the next three months with an ankle injury.
Arriving on a free transfer this summer, Eriksen has formed a superb midfield partnership with Casemiro this season and those two have played a huge part in what has been a remarkable upturn since Erik ten Hag was appointed as manager. But there are ways for him to replace the fallen Dane.
United made a late move in the market for Bayern Munich player Marcel Sabitzer as he jetted into the UK to complete his loan transfer on Monday night. But when it comes to in-house solutions, Fred appears to have the edge on, say, Scott McTominay.
READ MORE: Every word from press conference
It was McTominay who came in for the suspended Casemiro when United headed to Premier League leaders Arsenal without him, but qualities offered up by Fred both on the ball and in the final third, seemingly, identify him as a better deputy for Eriksen in his injury absence.
During his latest press conference, Ten Hag said: "I think you can never fill the [gap], because every player has his own characteristics and identity, another player will always fill in in a different way but it doesn't mean you have to be less successful.
"It's quite clear Christian Eriksen brings top quality to our squad and, especially, he has some specifics that are hard to replace, for instance his impacts in the final third with his final ball.
"He's [Fred] playing together with Casemiro in the Brazil squad. They have so many choices to make, but they often prefer to play them [two] together and that tells something about the quality Fred has and what he can contribute to the team."
Ten Hag added: "He did it on several times. You see his performances against Tottenham and Manchester City, when he's coming on in the last game he scores. He has a lot of qualities and they're a really good combination, Casemiro and Fred."
Casemiro, seemingly, agrees with his manager. When discussing compatriot Fred in the summer, he said: "He's very mobile, he passes the ball well, he has a good shot on him, he can play with both feet, left or right, he can pass the ball well with either foot and he's a great player.
"That's why he plays for Brazil and he's a very important player at this club. I think he'll help me a great deal, as he's Brazilian, he'll help me a lot and it's important to have another Brazilian here."
Important, he might just become, as United prepare to deal without their deep-lying playmaker for more than three months in their ongoing pursuit for silverware. Sabitzer will help to mask that setback, but there will be a bedding-in period for him and Fred deserves chance to prove his worth.
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