After the summer they’ve had, it can be easy to look at all the negatives that currently surround Manchester United but the £52m signing of Fred could be a huge positive for the Premier League club.

Red Devils boss Jose Mourinho has frustratedly watched on as his club’s hierarchy have struggled to get deals done during this transfer window. Yet the early capture of the Brazilian midfielder from Shakhtar Donetsk has already got some of the Old Trafford crowd purring.

The twenty-five year old impressed in United’s recently friendly win over Real Madrid with his neat footwork, dynamic running from midfield and his range of passing. He seems to give the side needed energy and pace from the engine room.

The international gives Mourinho some extra options when it comes to the midfield department and he may offer Paul Pogba a chance to become more creative in a United jersey too.

While Fred can burst forward with the ball, the tenacious midfielder is also disciplined enough to realise that he’ll need to sit beside Nemanja Matic if World Cup winner Pogba goes ahead of the ball. Without that creative freedom, Paul can sometimes switch off and that was evident last season.

You then add Scott McTominay, Ander Herrera, Marouane Fellaini and Andrea Pereira to the mix and the Man Utd midfield looks stronger in terms of depth and they’ve got good blend of different qualities too.

Mourinho was quick to explain why he wanted the Brazilian at the club:

“Fred is the complement we need in our midfielders qualities,”  

“His creative brain and passing vision will give us another dimension to our game.”

“I am very happy he is joining our club and I believe our players know how important he can be in our team.”

Without doubt the Manchester United manager Mourinho wants two more faces to strengthen his squad for next term, I’m guessing a centre-back and a creative forward are the positions he wants to see added competition for. Reports suggest that a deal to bring in experienced Belgian centre-half Toby Alderweireld from Tottenham Hotspur could be concluded before the transfer window shuts.

I do believe that Jose will be very thankful for the Fred signing. The Portuguese gaffer just needs to find the right balance in his midfield and become more positive in his approach. If he can do that then the season ahead could be a better one for him and the Man United faithful.

Posted on August 5th, 2018 by scott
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