Joe Cole has admitted that he has been impressed by Fred at the World Cup after the Manchester United midfielder caught the eye for Brazil during the opening fortnight of the tournament.
Fred has been maligned for the majority of his Old Trafford career but did earn plenty of plaudits last year during United's difficult Premier League campaign. Despite Fred's domestic struggles, where he has started just seven matches for United this term, the 29-year-old is still a regular for his country, where he usually plays alongside Casemiro.
With Casemiro rested for Friday night's match, Fred played alongside Fabinho during Brazil's final group match, where they fell to a shock 1-0 defeat against Cameroon.
The Liverpool ace has struggled badly for Liverpool this season - and Cole sang the praises of the United man rather than Fabinho before the match after admitting he had underestimated the impact Fred could have in more advanced areas of the pitch.
"I am surprised with how much Fred has played during this tournament," Cole said during ITV's pre-match coverage. "Fabinho is going through a tricky period at Liverpool; he was majestic before this season. His ball retention was good, his forward passes were excellent.
"He is a little bit off form, but Fred is the surprise one for me. He seems to be a different player when he pulls on the Brazil shirt. He plays with freedom and pops up in some great positions in forward areas."
Although Fred and Brazil lost against Cameroon, their place in the knockout stages of the tournament was already assured before the match courtesy of victories over Serbia and Switzerland.
Boss Tite made nine changes for the match in a bid to keep his squad fresh - but was still hit with a double injury blow. Arsenal forward Gabriel Jesus and Manchester United defender Alex Telles both sustained injuries that will keep them out of the remainder of the tournament on Friday night.
Join the debate! What have you made of Fred's performances at the World Cup? Let us know here.
According to Brazilian outlet Globo, Jesus is expected to miss around three-to-four weeks of action after 'feeling pain' in his knee during the match, while Telles is expected to require surgery for a similar issue.
Reacting after the match, Tite said: "We feel the loss and we must feel the loss when we lose, as we won the first two matches it gives you a second chance but usually in the World Cup that is not the case.
"The Brazilian coach who lost to the first African team, that is now in my history. We have to suffer for 24 hours and then we have to start getting ready."
