Mourinho’s biggest transfer blunder? Man United certainly took a step wrong by signing this £52m star

Manchester United have definitely made a mistake in signing Fred

Things are starting to look really bad for Manchester United after the club failed to even pick up a win against relegation battlers Southampton in the league this weekend. The Red Devils were only able to manage a 2-2 draw against the Saints as they continued their poor start to the season.

Jose Mourinho has come under increasing pressure to deliver over the last few weeks and though he has managed to do well in the Champions League, United’s hopes of retaining their top-four status are hanging by a thread.

Despite reports suggesting that the manager was not back by the club during the transfer market, he did bring in a couple of additions in the summer but none have made a significant impact. Manchester United paid £52million to land Brazilian midfielder Fred from Shakhtar Donetsk in the summer transfer window.

He has since made just 6 starts in the league this season and has looked nothing close to a true Mourinho player. Playing in central midfield alongside Paul Pogba, Fred has shown glimpses of his quality but nothing solid at the moment.

His passing has been fruitful but Fred is far too often caught out of position as well as dispossessed too easily. The midfielder has now warmed the bench in the last 7 games and has made just 1 substitute appearance.

The 25-year-old has scored 1 goal but that doesn’t justify anything. He is a Manchester United central midfielder and certainly doesn’t play like one. Fred has lost more personal duels than he has won this season.

He has also looked defensively very fragile and has barely tracked back to support the team in defence. The Brazilian has averaged just a 43% tackle success rate in the league this season. Mourinho also used him as a defensive midfielder in one game this season and Fred barely managed to do the job. (Stats courtesy – Premier League)

The former Shakhtar midfielder seems to lack a certain awareness on and off the ball. Manchester United have definitely made a mistake in signing the midfielder this summer. So far, he has shown no potential of getting any better and with the current atmosphere at Old Trafford and things don’t look like it will any time soon.

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Fred has been extensively kept on the bench and it doesn’t seem as though he will be featuring regularly for the foreseeable future. With players like Ander Herrera, Nemanja Matic and Marouane Fellaini doing a much better job, it’s hard to see Fred making his way back.