With talks stalled over the signing of Frenkie de Jong, Manchester United could be left with just three recognised defensive midfielders going into the start of the season. Fred could be the key to adding some balance to United’s often unbalanced midfield.
Frederico Rodrigues de Paula Santos, better known as Fred, joined the Reds in 2018 from Shakhtar Donetsk and has gone on to make 104 appearances during his time at Manchester. Throughout his United career, he has often been paired with Scott McTominay in the midfield pivot.
The partnership has gained a cult following and has been dubbed McFred due to how they compensate for each other’s defensive limitations. The pair rose to notoriety during the Ole Gunnar Solskjaer reign and were the first names on the team-sheet during the ‘big’ matches. While McTominay is an excellent carrier of the ball, it was always clear that Fred was the more natural number 6.
