Many Manchester United fans were worried when the pre-match squad news ahead of the key Premier League fixture against Tottenham started to emerge on Saturday afternoon.
The squad had travelled separately to the ground instead of as part of a single coach, ensuring a long wait to see who was available for the game after rumours of illness and David de Gea returning a false-positive test result for COVID-19.
And those supporters' worst fears came true when Bruno Fernandes' absence due to illness was confirmed ahead of kick-off at Old Trafford.
Despite not hitting the heights with goals that he hit last season, he has still been United's most creative player this season and an important player for the team when their backs were against the wall. A six-pointer in the race for the top four with Spurs certainly met that description and defeat would surely have ended any chances of the club qualifying for the Champions League through the league.
Given Fernandes' absence, Ralf Rangnick was forced to play a midfield three combination lining up together for the first time this season. Nemanja Matic was deployed as the lone six with Paul Pogba and Fred as dual eights either side of the Serb.
Many fans would have expected in this setup that Pogba would steal the headlines given his capacity for being a matchwinner in this United side. But the Frenchman seemed to be constantly targeted by the Spurs midfield and never really get going as he was closely shackled by Rodrigo Bentancur.
But while Spurs were so focused on stopping Pogba, they seemed to forget about Fred and the Brazilian was allowed to roam free as a result. It proved to be part of their undoing.
Most United fans know what Fred offers from a defensive perspective and he demonstrated that clearly against Spurs, closing down the opposition and putting them under pressure to pass. He also closed down passing lanes to limit the visitors' options in possession and prevent counter-attacks at source.
But it was in possession that was the most surprising (and pleasing) aspect of his performance. In the past, the primary criticism levelled at Fred has centred on his ball control but against Spurs, every first touch was precise and he even nutmegged the sluggish Bentancur at one point while driving forward with the ball.
His assist for Cristiano Ronaldo's goal was also a good example of how confident he has become under Rangnick, as his skilful flick left the Portuguese in acres of space outside the box before striking the ball sweetly past Hugo Lloris' despairing dive from speculative distance.
Many fans questioned whether Fred would survive at Old Trafford after the dismissal of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and the removal of the 'McFred' partnership but it seems under Rangnick he is continuing to go from strength to strength.
There are still defensive deficiencies and other question marks surrounding this United team under Rangnick but amid the pre-match setback of losing their chief creator, Fred showed that United's previous overreliance on Fernandes may be at an end. Ronaldo was the key beneficiary.
