Fred didn't feature in Manchester United's first pre-season friendly because Erik ten Hag and his staff are managing the midfielder's workload, the club say.
Fred, 30, has been tipped to leave Old Trafford this summer but United insist that his absence from Wednesday's 2-0 victory over Leeds wasn't connected to the transfer rumours. The Brazilian recently entered the final year of his Red Devils contract and was tipped to join Fulham before a £20million price tag was slapped on him which appears to have derailed the Cottagers' pursuit, although clubs in the Saudi Pro League remain interested.
Ten Hag is reportedly open to selling United's £52million signing, who joined from Shakhtar Donetsk in the summer of 2018, after bringing in Mason Mount from Chelsea to bolster his midfield. That leaves Fred further down the pecking order, having returned to pre-season training last week.
The Brazil international, who didn't receive a call-up for their June round of fixtures, was expected to play a role for United on Wednesday but wasn't named in the squad. Fred did, however, share a photo from the stands at the Ullevaal Stadium to show his support for his team-mates via Instagram.
A notable development came earlier this month when the 30-year-old changed agencies. Fred previously worked with former Arsenal and Brazil midfielder Gilberto Silva but is now represented by Brazilian agency Energy Sports, who oversaw Gabriel Jesus' move from Manchester City to Arsenal last summer.
Following the Red Devils' FA Cup final defeat to bitter rivals City in June, Fred conceded that he could've played his final game for United after five mixed seasons. "I still don't know, I have to talk with my family," the ex-Shakhtar maestro admitted.
Have your say! Should Manchester United sell Fred this summer? Join the debate in the comments section.
"I still have one year left on my contract here. Now it's holiday time and a good opportunity to rest. I'll talk to my staff, to the club, and see what everyone's decision is. 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 play 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 was certainly frustrated with his lack of game time last season, telling FourFourTwo: "In terms of my own performance, I believe I've played well, although I wish I'd had more minutes on the pitch. Whenever I was on the field, I think I delivered what was expected from me to help the team succeed."
Mirror Football is now on Threads! You can follow us here.
