World Cup winning midfielder Gilberto Silva has compared Manchester United's Fred to former Red Devils flop Kleberson when praising the Brazilian's contribution.
Fred came off the bench in Brazil's first World Cup group game, a 2-0 victory over Serbia. He has been given an opportunity from the start in the second match, though, with Tite adding an extra midfielder against Switzerland.
Gilberto was a regular as Brazil tasted glory in 2002, starting the final as the senior central midfielder after Emerson was injured in the lead-up to the tournament. His partner for the final in Yokohama was Kleberson, and Gilberto has compared that pairing to Brazil's combination of Fred and United colleague Casemiro.
"I have watched them [Casemiro and Fred] play many matches together now and, for Brazil, they have lost only once - the 2021 Copa America final against Argentina," Gilberto wrote for the BBC.
"It works very well because Casemiro sits at the back like I did and Fred is more mobile, like Kleberson was when he was next to me in our midfield at the 2002 World Cup.
"But Fred is also defensively strong. He is not just in front of Casemiro, he plays alongside him too and helps him do his job. They have an understanding now and I'm hoping this partnership will work well again at this World Cup. If we are going to win it, it will play such an important part."
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Brazil are without Neymar for their next two games, with the talisman picking up an injury in the opener. The Paris Saint-Germain star has been an important figure for Tite's side but Casemiro believes there is enough attacking quality in the squad with or without him.
"We could spend several days talking about Neymar, the player he is, his qualities and how important he is for our team. It's unavoidable — he is our biggest player, the difference-maker in our team," the midfielder said. "However, we have other players that have been performing in the same level like Vinicius Jr, Raphinha, Richarlison, Gabriel Jesus.
"Those of us who play in the back end often joke we feel sorry for our rivals because we can replace Raphinha for Antony, Richarlison for Gabriel Jesus. We have Rodrygo, Gabriel Martinelli. We have a wide array of options [on the bench]. It's great for us. But it does not change that Neymar is our best player."
Brazil can all but confirm themselves as group winners by beating Switzerland in their second game, thanks to the draw between Serbia and Cameroon in Monday's early fixture. The Selecao could only draw with their European opponents when they met at the same stage in 2018, though, with Steven Zuber equalising after Philippe Coutinho put Brazil in front.
