Paul Parker believes Fred is the only Manchester United player who has any chance of winning the PFA Players' Player of the Year award this season.
It has been another disappointing season for United, who are set to finish the campaign without a trophy following their exit from the Champions League earlier this week.
The harsh reality of another year without lifting any silverware has raised fresh questions about the direction United are heading, and in particular, the long-term future of a number of their first-team players.
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However, former defender Paul Parker believes midfielder Fred will form a key part of the squad in the years ahead and he believes other players in the Premier League will appreciate what he has achieved.
"I think Fred makes a difference," Parker told MyBettingSites. "He's definitely one of those players, at the end of the season, he'd get votes for the PFA Players' Player of the Year, which for me is the biggest award any footballer can win — the one you get from the players you play with.
"I think the main reason why he has improved is because he has a manager that 'likes' him.
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"He's got someone who believes in him, someone who likes what he does and knows how to get the best out of him. There hasn't been enough people who watched Fred at Shakhtar and suddenly you've got in your mind that he runs around and he tackles, you might wanna turn around and say he's a 'poor man's (N'golo) Kante' in certain ways. I think that's what people might come out and say cause he runs around but he's nothing like what Kante is with the ball."
"But Fred was always getting in the box at Shakhtar cause he's a good runner, he's a good athlete. He glides across the ground, his willingness to work hard is rare, in my opinion, in the modern game."
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