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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Sport
Liam Wood

'He's turned into Ronaldinho' - Manchester United fans rave about Fred moment vs Atletico Madrid

Manchester United supporters have been sent wild by some Brazilian magic at Old Trafford.

From the same country that's produced all-time greats such as Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and Pele, you would be forgiven for having to check twice when seeing Fred conjure up some dazzling footwork - let alone in the opposition penalty box. But that is exactly what happened against Atletico Madrid.

Enjoying one of his better spells since signing for United, the central midfielder was named alongside fit-again Scott McTominay and Bruno Fernandes when Ralf Rangnick announced his starting XI for the Champions League tie.

READ MORE: Jaap Stam warns Erik ten Hag about taking Manchester United manager job

Usually tasked with keeping out fleet-footed players in the opposition ranks, Fred has been given licence to utilise his energy further forward since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked. However, few could have expected him to bring out his inner Ronaldinho against the Spanish champions.

The 29-year-old burst into the penalty box and beat his man with a sensational two-footed flick. It came after he linked up with fellow countryman Alex Telles.

Atletico swiftly averted the danger and, ultimately, went up the other end to score the opener as the clock ticked towards half-time. But that was not before Fred had sent social media into meltdown. Revelling in his current form, fans compared him to Ronaldinho and former United star Dimitar Berbatov.

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As you would expect, several comments suggested Fred had finally found his Brazilian passport, leaving others in a state of shock. Here are a selection of social media posts shared by United supporters on Twitter.

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