Fred & Man United
Following the close of the summer transfer window, it has now become fairly clear to all that Manchester United’s weakest area is defensive midfield.
Fred and or Scott McTominay are generally deployed in this area, along with Paul Pogba or as a pairing in the ‘McFred’ pivot.
However, both players are, especially Fred, simply not cut out to be a leading defensive midfielder for a top side.
The Brazilian has been particularly poor over the last few years, prompting Roy Keane to question whether United could realistically secure major silverware with the Brazilian in their midfield back in May:
“All of United’s shortcomings have been shown up in the last couple of days. Look at the performance of the two midfielders. [Scott] McTominay is a good, honest player. And they’ve got Fred. As long as those two players are in midfield for Manchester United, they will not be winning any big trophies.
What Fred is looking to improve
And whilst Keane can sometimes by over the top with his criticism, he has largely been proven right about Fred.
The South American is often caught in possession after dawdling on the ball and generally does not have the passing ability or wherewithal to get himself out of tight situations when pressed in United’s half.
However, in what will no doubt comes as music to Man United fan’s ears, Fred has confirmed in a recent interview that he is aiming to improve on his passing, his turning in midfield and things more specific to his position:
“I aim to improve and work a lot after training on my passing. Sometimes turning in the midfield, things more specific to my position.
“As I’ve said before, my objective is to get the ball to the forwards, to always be ready to receive the ball from the centre-backs, receive a pass and have the right body position to control it and find a good pass.
“I aim to improve in this area, this is the most important area to improve and develop in my position. I visualise this every day so I look to improve on positioning on the pitch, an additional pass, turns during a game, that’s what I look to work on every day.”