Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane has performed a significant U-turn on central midfielder Fred in recent months.
The Brazilian international was on target for Ralf Rangnick’s side in their 4-2 victory at Leeds on Sunday afternoon.
Fred was introduced as a second half substitute by the visitors and immediately made an impact by his involvement in a flowing team move that culminated in him firing United back in front with a vicious strike.
It was just the third Premier League goal of the season for the 28-year-old, who had also netted against Marcelo Bielsa’s side on the opening day of the campaign alongside the winning goal in Rangnick’s first game in charge of United against Crystal Palace.
Fred has been one of the more promising players in a difficult campaign for United, who are now fighting for a top four spot under Rangnick.
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That led to some rare praise for the Brazilian from former United midfielder Keane, who claimed that Fred’s performances had improved recently and acknowledging he helped change the game at Elland Road.
Keane – who had recently been linked with the Sunderland management job – also added that Anthony Elanga, another goal scoring substitute, was a ‘positive’ for United.
Keane claimed: "Well deserved in the end. Fred has definitely improved his finishing and attacking play in the last few months.
"Elanga is a really good player, very positive.
"They made hard work of it but Manchester United were by far the better team."
Keane has traditionally been one of Fred’s biggest critics and after United’s defeat to Manchester City earlier this season, he said: “If (then United boss) OIe (Gunnar Solskjaer) walked in here now I’d grab him by the (collar) and say ‘why are you playing Fred?’
“All managers have to make their own decisions, they’re working with the players day in, day out, I would look at him and go ‘why are you playing Fred in the middle of the park?’
“And he has to take responsibility for that, I agree.”
In another damning critique of Fred, Keane had said: "Anyone who tells me Fred is good enough for United - they’re in cuckoo land."
Keane has said of the Brazil international on Sky: “I think if you want to play for a big team in midfield you've got to hang your hat on something to say well, ‘you're brilliant at going forward, or brilliant defensively or he's got a goal in him’ - I don't see any of them in Fred."
But Fred insisted in an interview carried out in September that he is in the best moment of his career after being asked if he was in his peak, saying: "I believe so, as you're at a really good age.
"It's an age when you've already experienced a great deal since turning professional, I've been through good and bad things.
"Also you're playing at a massive club like United, the biggest in the world for me. I think it is the peak of my career, It's a marvellous time for me, my best moment."
Fred looks set to play a big role for United in the remaining months of the campaign as he competes with Scott McTominay, Nemanja Matic and Paul Pogba for a starting spot in Rangnick’s side.
