Manchester United midfielder Fred has hired new agents with the club prepared to listen to bids of £20million for the Brazilian amid interest from Fulham and clubs in Saudi Arabia.
The midfielder’s interests will now be managed by Energy Sports, who represent a host of Brazilian clients with Arsenal forward Gabriel Jesus the most prominent of the stable. It is a further hint the combative midfielder is set to bring an end to his five-year stay at Old Trafford this summer.
Fred joined United following a big-money switch from Shakhtar Donetsk but has only won an EFL Cup during his time at the club. Former United captain Roy Keane has been critical of Fred in the past and the 30-year-old has also frustrated boss Erik ten Hag at times over the past year.
Ten Hag has prioritised revolutionising United’s midfield since his appointment at the club. Immediately recognising the position as an area of concern, he instructed chiefs to land two midfielders last summer with Christian Eriksen and Casemiro both arriving.
This summer has seen a similar approach. Mason Mount completed his move to Old Trafford with United paying an initial £55m plus up to £5m in add-ons for the England international. He will be deployed in an attacking midfield role, meaning that Fred’s playing time is likely to be reduced further.
“I’ll talk to my staff, to the club and see what is everyone’s decision,” Fred said after the FA Cup final defeat to Manchester City earlier this month when quizzed on his future.
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“I do have to talk with Ten Hag as well, he’s the manager and the conversation has to involve everyone. We have to see how next season will plan out. I want to be important, I want to help the team, so we’ll see. But I’ve always been and still am very happy at Manchester United."
Fred has been a regular for United in recent seasons but he has not always escaped criticism. Forming a midfield partnership with Scott McTominay, the Brazilian’s performances fluctuated and he was often guilty of sloppy in-play possession despite adding energy.
Speaking on Sky Sports in 2021, former midfielder Keane explained: "I think if you want to play for a big team in midfield, you've got to hang your hat on something to say well, ‘you're brilliant at going forward, or brilliant defensively or he's got a goal in him’. I don't see any of them in Fred."
Ten Hag had appeared to get the best out of Fred, with his goal return of six this year across all competitions making up over 40 per cent of his entire tally over the course of five years with the boss often supportive publicly of Fred.
Speaking to United’s website earlier this year, the Dutchman said: “We emphasise a lot of times that we’ve often had players who score goals when they come on from the bench like Fred did last week.
“Every time when he’s coming on, he’s ready. He’s front foot and he brings the right quality to the game. That is great to have that as a team and as a manager.” However, Ten Hag's position appears to have now changed and he is willing to oversee the Brazilian's exit.
