Manchester United have signed Fred from Shakhtar Donetsk and suffice to say, they have completed a coup (Source: ESPN). The Brazilian is an incredibly talented midfielder, who earned rave reviews for his performances at Shakhtar last season.
A player like Fred could truly revamp United’s performances in the seasons to come for numerous reasons. His skills and technique on the ball will undoubtedly help the Red Devils in their quest to mount a serious title challenge next season.
Although he did not play much for the Ukrainian outfit the last term, it goes without saying that his numbers were quite impressive. According to Squawka, the player managed to create 9 chances in 8 starts in the Champions League.
In total, Fred scored twice and provided a solitary assist in 20 appearances in all competitions for Shakhtar last season. A central midfielder by trade, Fred possesses admirable attacking and defensive qualities. Given his caliber, Fred will not only strengthen Manchester United’s midfield but his presence could also help to extract the best out of Paul Pogba.
Over the course of the previous term, Pogba was often played alongside Nemanja Matic in a 4-2-3-1 formation. And considering Pogba’s attacking tendencies, the additional defensive duties hampered his game. This is where Fred could come in handy.
The 25-year-old Brazilian is a dynamic box-to-box midfielder, capable of breaking the opponents’ play, while also aiding in attacks. A player like him would be the ideal partner for Matic, thus freeing up Pogba to play in a more attacking role.
And interestingly enough, Fred is the type of player United lacked last season – he has the ability to play across all the positions in a three-man midfield, which is sure to provide Jose Mourinho with greater flexibility and more tactical options.
More often than not, Matic and Pogba’s lack of understanding was out there for the world to see last season. The swashbuckling French star clearly has a penchant for attacking plays and in many instances, he left his Serbian teammate exposed while he roamed up front.
That led to several costly errors for United last term but with Fred in the mix, that situation is unlikely to arise again. Thus, with all this in mind, it is clear that Fred will not only be a great signing for United but he could also go on to become the signing of the season.