Given that his main responsibility was simply to stop an opposition player, Fred enjoyed quite the evening on Thursday.
The Brazilian midfielder, selected ahead of Marcel Sabitzer and in the absence of the injured Christian Eriksen, was incredibly impressive in the Europa League victory over Barcelona. He scored the equaliser in the second leg as Erik ten Hag's side secured a 4-3 aggregate victory over the Catalan giants in the playoff clash.
Fred somewhat struggled in the first leg - which finished 2-2 at Camp Nou - but he was much more assured at Old Trafford on Thursday night. He had a job and he did it. Not to mention helping out at the other end of the pitch, too.
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It is clear that United manager Ten Hag thinks very highly of Frenkie de Jong. It was somewhat common knowledge before the midweek clash - given that the Reds spent all summer trying to sign the Dutchman - but in the game between the two sides on Thursday, it became even more evident.
United spent the entirety of last summer trying to pry De Jong away from Barcelona, but the midfielder, who played under Ten Hag at Ajax, was not keen on the move. The 25-year-old appeared to have fallen down the pecking order under Xavi, but in recent months, he has become integral to their success.
De Jong has played 20 times in La Liga this term, and with Barcelona currently possessing an eight-point lead over rivals Real Madrid at the top of the table, he could very well go on to win the title. He also featured heavily in the Catalans' brief Champions League campaign, as well as in the play off clash with United.
The midfielder played the full 90 minutes in both legs. He impressed in the 2-2 draw in Spain last week, but struggled to have an impact on the tie at Old Trafford on Thursday night. The Reds ran out 2-1 winners on their own patch to dump De Jong and Barcelona out of the competition.
However, Ten Hag's praise for goalscorer Fred after the full-time whistle showed exactly what he thinks of De Jong - and explains exactly why the United boss was so desperate to reunited with his compatriot in Manchester.
Asked for comment on the performance of Fred against Xavi's side, Ten Hag replied: "Fred? His role was to stop Frenkie de Jong, he was like a ‘mosquito’ all over him - he did it."
Clearly, assigning one of his players the task of simply trying to stop the influence of a direct opponent is a compliment to De Jong. It shows that he felt the Netherlands international could dictate play for the visitors. He was right to think that.
In La Liga this season, for example, De Jong averages over 70 touches a game, has a 90% accurate pass rate and makes more than one successful tackle a game. He is a flashy midfielder, but a player who is not afraid to do the dirty work for his team. For context, his pass success rate dropped to 80.5% in the second leg against United, and Fred deserves a lot of credit for that.
Fred provided energy in the middle of the park and his pressing was relentless. He came into his own in the second period and made it difficult for De Jong and the rest of the Barcelona midfielders. Yet, despite enduring a disappointing evening, De Jong still managed to show flashes of brilliance.
While Eriksen, Casemiro and Fernandes have formed a good understanding this campaign, the injury to the Danish ace shows that United still need reinforcements in midfield. Sabitzer has done well since coming in on loan, but there is a feeling that Ten Hag still needs another diamond alongside his enforcer.
In December, the Manchester Evening News reported that United are still open to bringing the 25-year-old to the club. Given that Ten Hag instructed one of his players to spend the entire game annoying the Dutchman, it served as a reminder to anyone that needed one about how highly the Barcelona ace is thought of at Old Trafford.
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