Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has defied severe criticism from club icon Roy Keane by hailing Fred's contributions during his short tenure at Old Trafford.
The Brazilian international has regularly been the target of vitriol during his time as a Red Devil following a big-money switch from Shakhtar Donetsk. Signed in July 2018, he endured a disastrous debut campaign with the club, making just 17 Premier League appearances.
Things did not get much better under a succession of managers. Former United midfielder Keane was a harsh critic of Fred’s performances, claiming that he did not have a standout feature to his game to make him effective for the Red Devils.
Speaking on Sky Sports in 2021, the Irishman said: "I think if you want to play for a big team in midfield, you've got to hang your hat on something to say well, ‘you're brilliant at going forward, or brilliant defensively or he's got a goal in him’. I don't see any of them in Fred."
Following Keane’s scathing words, things did get slightly better for the 32-time Brazil international last term, despite a hugely-underwhelming campaign for his teammates. Fred arguably had the best season of his United career, netting four goals and providing five assists in the Premier League.
He has managed to get on the scoresheet twice this season - his latest effort coming after being introduced from the bench against Nottingham Forest on 27 December. Despite not regularly handing Fred a place in the starting XI since his arrival, Ten Hag appears is a big fan of the former Shakhtar star and hailed his readiness, quality and goalscoring ability.
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Speaking to United’s official website, the Dutchman said: “We emphasise a lot of times that we’ve often had players who score goals when they come on from the bench, like Fred did last week.
“Every time when he’s coming on, he’s ready. He’s front foot and he brings the right quality to the game. That is great to have that as a team and as a manager.”
Fred will hope to receive another chance to impress on Friday night, when the Red Devils take on Premier League rivals Everton in the third round of the FA Cup. United welcome the Toffees to Old Trafford on the back of four consecutive victories in all competitions since returning to action after the World Cup.
Meanwhile, Everton find themselves in dire straits having endured a torrid season under Frank Lampard. The Toffees have lost eight of their last 11 competitive matches in all competitions - a run that includes a 4-1 humbling at the hands of Brighton at Goodison Park last time out.
Supporters on Merseyside loudly booed the side in the aftermath of the defeat that leaves Everton in the relegation zone.
