Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has reportedly held talks with Fred to assure him of his future at the club, after a disappointing debut campaign.
As reported by The Sun, Manchester United midfielder Fred has been given assurances by manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer that he will be a major part of his first-team plans in the upcoming season.
Fred arrived at Manchester United from Ukrainian outfit Shakhtar Donetsk in a deal worth £52 million. But, the Brazilian international failed to live up to the lofty expectations that came along with the price-tag, as he struggled to establish himself as a regular in the Red Devils’ first-team.
There were brief glimpses of what the 26-year-old can offer, but they came few and far in between. In the end, Fred finished the season with just 25 appearances to his name, in which he managed to score and assist one goal apiece, with only 13 of those being starts in the Premier League.
Manchester United have been in the market for reinforcements in the midfield all summer, following Ander Herrera’s departure. Newcastle United youngster Sean Longstaff has been heavily linked with a switch to Old Trafford, while Bruno Fernandes has been a prime target for the 20-time English champions.
Given Fred’s struggles last season, coupled with Manchester United’s hunt for midfield reinforcements, a number of clubs across Europe made loan enquiries for the Brazilian international, in hope that the Mancunians would be willing to offload the midfielder, as per the report.
However, they were met with firm rejection as Solskjaer sees the 26-year-old as a major part of his plans moving forward and has assured the Brazilian of the same after holding talks with him.
A club source told The Sun: “Ole has held a couple of telephone conversations with Fred over the last few weeks. He wants to repay the managers faith. There has been some interest but everyone fully thinks he’ll come good. He’s been doing some private fitness work to help him get stronger, keeping to the schedule he was handed.”
This is good news for Manchester United given that they have already lost Herrera this summer and are facing the prospect of losing Paul Pogba as well, who has been heavily linked with Juventus and Real Madrid.
Fred is contracted with Manchester United till 2023, with the club retaining the option of extending it by a further twelve months. The 26-year-old wasn’t part of United’s pre-season tour to Australia, but is expected to link up with the rest of the squad in Singapore. Having failed to make the desired impact in his first season, the Brazilian will be aiming to improve this time out.
