Fred could be a surprise inclusion in the starting XI when Manchester United take on Manchester City in the FA Cup final on Saturday.
The trip to Wembley will be United's final outing of a gruelling but uplifting campaign and it represents perhaps the most important game of all. Not only does it give Erik ten Hag's side the chance to lift their second trophy of the season but they will be fighting to end City's hopes of claiming a historic treble ahead of the Champions League final next week.
But the task will not be an easy one. Not only are they against a Pep Guardiola side fresh off claiming yet another Premier League title but United are once again severely depleted by injuries. Lisandro Martinez, Marcel Sabitzer and Donny van de Beek were already ruled out for the season but Anthony Martial will also miss the final with a hamstring problem, his sixth injury of the campaign.
Fellow forward Antony is also a serious doubt after he suffered a nasty ankle injury in the penultimate game of the league season against Chelsea. "Unlikely. Antony still [has] a chance but a really small chance," the manager said. "He didn’t make progress, so he still has a chance but unlikely he is available."
The injuries have left United down to the barebones, especially in attacking areas, and as a result we may see Ten Hag shift around some of his key players to accommodate others. Bruno Fernandes has been tasked with manning the flanks on several occasions and may do so again at Wembley so an extra defensive midfielder in Fred could start.
City have been dominating games with their control of the midfield thanks to the brilliance of Kevin De Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan and Rodri, as well as John Stones pushing out from the defence. The combative Fred, alongside Casemiro, might have a better chance of getting a grip on the match.
That would see Christian Eriksen pushing up to a more advanced position with Fernandes on his right and Jadon Sancho on his left. That leaves Marcus Rashford to again lead the line rather than playing on the wing as he prefers.
The back-line mostly picks itself with Victor Lindelof and Raphael Varane sure to partner in the middle with Luke Shaw on the left but Ten Hag has a choice to make between Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Diogo Dalot. The former might just get the nod thanks to his superior defensive qualities up against Jack Grealish.
Predicted United starting XI vs City: De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Lindelof, Varane, Shaw; Casemiro, Fred; Fernandes, Eriksen, Sancho; Rashford.
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