Why Manchester United most hold onto Fred amid Inter Milan interest
According to ESPN, Inter Milan are thinking about offering Manchester United a swap deal involving Fred and Christian Eriksen. The Italian club are keen to offload Eriksen, who has underwhelmed for them since joining and are hoping to sign at least one player by offering Eriksen. They have also made offers for Granit Xhaka, N’Golo Kante and Nemanja Matic.
Profile
Born in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, Fred started his professional career with Internacional in his homeland before making his move to Europe with Ukrainian giants Shakhtar Donetsk back in 2013.
The central midfielder went on to spend five seasons at Shakhtar, registering 15 goals and 15 assists in 155 appearances across all competitions. The Brazilian international also proved his worth in the Champions League and Europa League over the course of his memorable stint in Ukraine.
Man United forked out a staggering £52m in the summer of 2018 to bring Fred to Old Trafford, but the midfielder struggled to live up to his massive price tag. A dismal debut season in English football saw him start just 13 Premier League games, thus raising serious doubts over his abilities.
However, the Brazilian maestro featured 48 times across all competitions last term, as United secured a third-place finish in the league and also reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup, League Cup, and the Europa League.
Manchester United cannot let Fred slip away
The case of Fred is a curious one. Seen as a non-essential transfer in 2018, he has come a long way since. When a club boasts of midfielders like Paul Pogba, Donny van de Beek and Nemanja Matic, you would sort of think that Fred would be no more than a squad option.
Yet, that has not been the case. Through hard work and determination, the Brazilian has managed to keep those star names out of the playing XI. There’s nothing very flamboyant about his play because that is not his job. He does what is asked of him and does it ridiculously well.
In a partnership with Scott McTominay, he has managed to give the side a very good level of balance in attack and defence. His work-rate is absolutely unmatched in the team. While he may not be a top-notch creative player or score buckets of goals, he is a very good ball progressor.
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Verdict
Manchester United finally look like they have found one of their best midfield combinations and it would be rather foolish to let go of Fred now. He has become one of their most vital and best players and they must hold on to him at all costs..
