Hargreaves SLAMS Fred and insists Ferguson would have dropped him 'for a month'

Fred would have felt the full force of Sir Alex Ferguson's fury if the Scot had taken charge against Everton, and Owen Hargreaves believes the legendary boss would have dropped him as punishment.

The Brazilian was barged off the ball by winger Demarai Gray in the 64th minute of Manchester United's 1-1 draw, setting off the counter-attack from which Andros Townsend slotted in the equaliser.

Fred has been a persistent weak-link in the United side throughout his time as a regular starter under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer but they signed Cristiano Ronaldo, Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane this summer instead of a top-class midfielder.

Ferguson ended his glorious Old Trafford reign in 2012 as the Premier League champion. Hargreaves played under the Scot for four years, and knows the hairdryer would have been unleashed on Fred.

‘Never ever, not in a million years [should that goal be allowed to happen],’ Hargreaves said on Premier League Productions.

‘That’s what you get paid for, that’s why you’re there, that’s your job to stop that goal. I would’ve taken that personally. He’s got two cracks at it, and both [times] he loses.

‘It can’t happen. Sir Alex wouldn’t forgive you for that, you wouldn’t have played for a month, seriously.

‘He has to win those tackles. And if he loses it, you foul him, you bring him down.

‘You’ve got to win that. You cannot get bumped off the ball by Demarai Gray and if he does, you foul him.

‘United don’t have control of games, it’s their corner, how can a goal like that happen?

‘I know Harry Maguire is missing and they miss his leadership but if you’re going to play two defensive midfielders in there – McTominay and Fred – that goal can’t happen.’