Fred and Scott McTominay are barely Anderson and Darren Fletcher, never mind Paul Ince and Roy Keane. Whoever the next Manchester United manager is, their futures are still assured.
Both have been overplayed the last few years, a consequence of the midfield malaise at a club that has not signed an outright central midfielder since Fred checked in for a medical on the eve of the 2018 World Cup. McTominay has since signed two new contracts since. Perversely, Fred has not received a renewal.
In a season where only Anthony Elanga has been summoned to the Carrington press room to pose with a dummy contract, Fred should be next in line. There would inevitably be outrage and despair from some and, yes, United cannot seem to go a year without doling out an incongruous contract to a player undeserving. Fred would be deserving.
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His performance against Tottenham was 'one of the best performances since I was here', in the words of Ralf Rangnick. A frustrated Fred ended the Manchester derby rounding on Aaron Wan-Bissaka, smacking his hands repeatedly, and he channeled that into a purposeful performance. Fred displayed that steely side a handful of times during crowdless matches where he confirmed his grasp of English, at least as far as the expletives were concerned.
Fred only misplaced four of his 45 passes against Spurs as he provided the conduit between defence and attack. His passing was adventurous and steel supplemented the silk when Fred switched sides with Nemanja Matic and started repelling Spurs shots. He recorded six blocks in total.
"He's probably, together with Scott McTominay, one the best ball-winners if the other team is in possession," Rangnick said of Fred after the win over Tottenham. "He also showed today in quite a few counter-attacks and transitional moments he can play perfect balls, he gave the assist for the first goal to Cristiano.
"So also, from Fred, it's one of the best performances since I was here."
Fred's importance to United has increased since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer cleared his desk, a mark of his diligent professionalism. Michael Carrick deserves kudos for tweaking Fred's role to a more advanced area, where his pressing enabled Ronaldo to lob United's winner at Villarreal. He hit the ground running for Rangnick with a classy winner against Crystal Palace and he has struck another winner at Leeds and created three more goals.
'Goal contributions' has entered the football lexicon, a defence mechanism for underperforming players partial to stats-padding. Bruno Fernandes has 22 'goal contributions' this season yet has not had a good season. Solskjaer downplayed assists in September, preferring to focus on the quality rather than the quantity. Fred has tallied five since Solskjaer was sacked and his perceptive flick for Ronaldo was another worthy of acclaim.
Fred showcased his vision for McTominay's header against Aston Villa and Anthony Elanga's composed opener at Brentford. Ronaldo's winner at Villarreal and Fernandes' second at Villa Park were forced by the Brazilian's pressing. Rangnick has used five formations in under four months and accommodated Fred in all of them.
Jose Mourinho sanctioned the £52million signing of Fred, he became a mainstay under Solskjaer, started all three of Carrick's games in caretaker charge and has lined up in 10 of Rangnick's 15 Premier League fixtures. Fred was rotated at Leeds, where he emerged to arrow in the winner, and missed two matches with Covid-19.
Of all United's midfielders, Fred is the one certain to start against Atletico Madrid. Some find him unfashionable and an easy target. Fred is partially penalised by the juxtaposition of his nationality and unfashionable name, just as his striker namesake was during the 2014 World Cup. That Fred was one to dread, though.
Fred's absence from the Europa League final XI had dire consequences as United's balance was compromised, Paul Pogba inadvisably relocated to central midfield and subsequently outperformed by McTominay. The best players do not always make for the best team.
At a time where some squad members are still bristling about Rangnick's methods and prone to backbiting, Fred has left them without any excuses. Some have attempted to level the blame at the coaching staff for the downward spirals of form, with Rangnick and his assistant Chris Armas both derided by certain players. Incidentally, Fred is not the player dubbed a 'teacher's pet' by a teammate.
So why has Fred excelled? "He’s a good player, versatile, committed, no ego," one of the midfielder's confidants said. Genuinely good players perform irrespective of the manager.
David de Gea has still kept dependably, Raphael Varane remains United's best centre-back, McTominay is so important United avoided announcing their travelling squad for the first leg at Atletico amid his absence and Jadon Sancho now resembles the irrepressible winger they courted for four years. Ronaldo is still the game's greatest goalscorer, Pogba has impressed since returning from injury and Elanga is Rangnick's academy legacy.
Fletcher, a limited midfielder whose commitment elevated him to undroppable status, has monitored and coached Fred for 14 months now and will have approved.
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