Fred was shown a second yellow card and given his marching orders after a reckless stamp on Alvaro Morata as Manchester United fell to defeat by Atletico Madrid.
The incident occurred in the closing stages of the pre-season friendly, which played in Oslo, Norway on Saturday afternoon, as United trailed Atletico thanks to Joao Felix's late strike. In a hard-fought friendly which had already seen seven yellow cards dished out, Fred first hacked Morata's ankles, getting nowhere near to the ball.
As the former Chelsea striker fell to the floor and collected the ball in his arms, clearly expecting the referee to blow his whistle for the initial foul, Fred hit out with a stamp which connected with Morata's upper right thigh, causing him to yell out in pain.
Erik ten Hag started the Brazilian in a midfield pivot alongside Scott McTominay as part of a strong Red Devils XI which also featured the likes of Bruno Fernandes, Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial. Fred had earned praise for his displays throughout pre-season prior to the loss to Atletico, but his manager may now be wondering whether he deserves to line up against Brighton in the opening game of the Premier League campaign next weekend.
There were some bright sparks for United, with Anthony Elanga a standout performer on the right flank before Facundo Pellistri replaced him with 15 minutes remaining. The Red Devils will have the chance to bounce back from the defeat as they host Rayo Vallecano at Old Trafford on Sunday.
Cristiano Ronaldo was a notable absentee from the 21-man squad which travelled to Scandinavia amid continued speculation over his future at Old Trafford. However, the Portuguese superstar has announced he is ready to face Spanish side Rayo Vallecano, having missed the rest of United's pre-season due to 'family reasons'.
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Ronaldo has not pulled on a Red Devils shirt in two-and-a-half months and is hoping to leave the club this summer for a team which can offer him Champions League football. However, potential destinations are proving hard to come by for the five-time Ballon d'Or winner, despite the efforts of his agent, Jorge Mendes.
The former Real Madrid forward's desire to depart is one of the key issues facing Ten Hag with just over one week remaining until the Seagulls come calling. Fred's act of ill-discipline adds to the Dutchman's headache and raises further questions of United's recruitment strategy, with the lack of a midfield addition continuing to prove troublesome for the 20-time English champions.
