Why did we buy Fred?

Sanchez7

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Think he has a potential to be a first eleven player for us. In the limited games that he has played, I have seen him play some wonderful passes with either foot which is quite encouraging. Having said that he has also been sloppy with his touches/short passing as others have pointed out. If we continue to play 3 in midfield, he will inevitably get his chance.
 

RedorDead21

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Think he has a potential to be a first eleven player for us. In the limited games that he has played, I have seen him play some wonderful passes with either foot which is quite encouraging. Having said that he has also been sloppy with his touches/short passing as others have pointed out. If we continue to play 3 in midfield, he will inevitably get his chance.
I think the balance of attributes with Matic Herrera and Pogba is now right finally after about 6 years of searching. Fred doesn't fit well for me. I've heard the line he can play against certain opposition. That's basically saying you're not good enough as we could play pretty much any of the squad at home against huddersfield you'd expect. I like him as well. Think I've seen spells of very good promise. I just think we had so many gaping holes and still do why did we bother at that price. Fill the other positions first and by the time it comes round to focus on midfield a youth prospect or another player outside the club may have showed themselves.
 

Revan

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Nothing I have seen from Fred so far suggest he has the ability to play at United. Wants too many touches and gives it away too often.

That's not to say he won't improve but I can totally understand why Ole would be reluctant to use him when we're clinging on against Spurs

I think to answer the OPs question - it would appear our Scouting team recommended Fred to Ed Woodward. I honestly don't think Jose was involved at all and I'm well past the whole defending Jose debate
Jose clearly mentioned during the end of last season that we are going to sign at least a Brazilian, and as far as I can remember, Fred has been the only Brazilian (in addition to Willian) we were linked to since then. In addition, he was signed very early in the transfer window. He was clearly a Jose signing.
 

Camilo

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He's obviously a decent player, maybe a very good one, in his first season in a new country and a new club, and having spent most of that time under a miserable Jose..

And then you look at our midfield. Herrera, who until 4 weeks ago was largely classed as not good enough, Matic who is apparently passed it, Pogba who plenty of folk wanted gone.... And who else? You can't have a team with only 3 midfielders and some backup kids if you actually want to win something.

Give the guy a chance for fecks sake. And a chance isn't a 20 minute run out.
 

settembrini

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Our scouts and coaching staff have done a poor job assessing him as a player. He was at his best for Shaktar in their half of the pitch, pressing, intercepting and tackling the opposition players and then quickly giving the ball to the attackers. A modern, mobile defensive midfielder like Kante or Herrera in 16/17. This is why Guardiola wanted him at City to replace Fernandinho.

At United he has been asked to contribute a lot more in the opposition half, he literally started as a #10 in his last game. He's not suited to this role and will almost certainly flop at United should we expect him to contribute as an attacking player.
 

JJ12

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Like others have said you can see there's quality there but there's also a lot of elementary mistakes there too.

So many simple passes going wayward. Switching off in defence too.

I'd like to see Fred Herrera Pogba at some point this year. We need him to improve ready for next season.
 

koop

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I honestly think that we bought him just to stop City getting him. Smelt like more of a panic buy and potential pressure on Mourinho to buy someone.

Other than that I think he's good. Good enough to get more first team minutes than he's been getting. Under Ole he'll get alot more minutes and become important to our team hopefully.
 

Kaizane

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For me he still wants too much time on the ball and his first touch still isn't good enough to allow him the time he wants to get his head up and pick a pass, he's always in a rush.

If I was him I'd be working on that and the rest will follow.
 

Isotope

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Our scouts and coaching staff have done a poor job assessing him as a player. He was at his best for Shaktar in their half of the pitch, pressing, intercepting and tackling the opposition players and then quickly giving the ball to the attackers. A modern, mobile defensive midfielder like Kante or Herrera in 16/17. This is why Guardiola wanted him at City to replace Fernandinho.

At United he has been asked to contribute a lot more in the opposition half, he literally started as a #10 in his last game. He's not suited to this role and will almost certainly flop at United should we expect him to contribute as an attacking player.
Are you saying that there's no place for a modern, mobile defensive midfielder like Kante in this team?
 

beingshe7don

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Fred has looked off the pace for the PL as of now. He gets caught out of position ever so often. He needs to be disciplined but with Pogba playing higher up the pitch and Herrera sort of the destroyer and Matic sitting back.... Fred could be a backup for Herrera in not so important games.

I would give Fred until end of this season to get his act together...

Would like to get Ndombele as a replacement before City snap him up.
 

VorZakone

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Are you saying that there's no place for a modern, mobile defensive midfielder like Kante in this team?
That's not what he is saying? He's saying Fred at Shakhtar was at his best operating in the Kante-role.
 

Josep Dowling

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Our scouts and coaching staff have done a poor job assessing him as a player. He was at his best for Shaktar in their half of the pitch, pressing, intercepting and tackling the opposition players and then quickly giving the ball to the attackers. A modern, mobile defensive midfielder like Kante or Herrera in 16/17. This is why Guardiola wanted him at City to replace Fernandinho.

At United he has been asked to contribute a lot more in the opposition half, he literally started as a #10 in his last game. He's not suited to this role and will almost certainly flop at United should we expect him to contribute as an attacking player.
Boils down to us buying a player for one purpose then expecting him to do another. This has been a common drait under the last two manager which Ole looks to have rectified pretty quickly. Which is probably why Fred can't get games as our midfield 3 have been very good since he was appointed.
 

John Blund

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Rumours have it that Woodward thought he was at a "show signing" and signed Fred the Red.

Fred will blossom - just give him some time.
 

rollingstoned1

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Think we signed him quite literally because City wanted him for their midfield.

Mourinho will have had very little to do with it to be fair to him. Fred was like Herrera, a club signing. Wheras Matic was a Mourinho signing.
This makes sense and puts Fred in a list along with Sanchez and RVP.
 

ChaddyP

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Our scouts and coaching staff have done a poor job assessing him as a player. He was at his best for Shaktar in their half of the pitch, pressing, intercepting and tackling the opposition players and then quickly giving the ball to the attackers. A modern, mobile defensive midfielder like Kante or Herrera in 16/17. This is why Guardiola wanted him at City to replace Fernandinho.

At United he has been asked to contribute a lot more in the opposition half, he literally started as a #10 in his last game. He's not suited to this role and will almost certainly flop at United should we expect him to contribute as an attacking player.
It's amazing that he's supposed to be this defensive minded Kante like player and the previous manager said that we need to be more defensively solid in order to play him. I don't know what to think anymore.
 

MadDogg

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People are still trying to say that Mourinho didn't want him?

Mourinho told us a year ago how the transfer process worked here. He gave the club a list of names, likely in which order to prioritise, and they'd go out and work on the deals. Mourinho talked about wanting a Brazilian player. He also made a number of comments about wanting to press harder and that Fred would help with that.

As such, it's obvious that Fred was on that list of names. He may or may not have been Mourinho's first choice, but of course he was on the list.
 

gerdm07

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I rate Andres slightly ahead of Fred at the moment. However, unfortunately neither are first teamers.
 

ravi2

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I rate Andres slightly ahead of Fred at the moment. However, unfortunately neither are first teamers.
Herrera is 100% a first teamer. Eventually it's matic that will need replacing in the midfield.
 

tenpoless

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It's ridiculous how He's so good in PES. He can't even hold the ball in real life.

Edit: Woodward plays it.
 
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Volumiza

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Herrera is 100% a first teamer. Eventually it's matic that will need replacing in the midfield.
Absolutely, Herrera should be one of the first names on the teamsheet every week.

I also think Fred will come good. He's got the guts and energy for our league, just needs to get used to the speed and intensity. He wouldn't be the first midfielder to struggle and he won't be the last.
 

Martin Gallagher

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We really need a Fernandinho type of player. We have CM and AM, but no one who is good at covering the defence. Someone who can tackle, win the ball and pass it on regularly to the forward players. Someone who can step in as the extra defender when under pressure. Mourinho tried Fred Herrera Fellaini Matic and even Pogba but none of them have that skillset. Fred was a bad uneccessary buy and I think it was because City were reportedly after him, we went for him.

If it was up to me I'd go and get Declan Rice now from Westham, he's been unbelievable all season perfect dm. Reads the game so well for somebody so young. Plenty of time to develop into a class midfielder
 

wolvored

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If it was up to me I'd go and get Declan Rice now from Westham, he's been unbelievable all season perfect dm. Reads the game so well for somebody so young. Plenty of time to develop into a class midfielder
Yes seems a good player.
 

minoo-utd

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Ole might has a use for him, Fred can't go on playing like that when he gets new opportunities to show what he got, he has to improve.
 

Wednesday at Stoke

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Reminds me of how Lindelöf looked when he first started playing. Too early to call him a flop, he's got some tenacity, passing range and a good motor. I'll give it another year before passing judgement. He's certainly not a 50M player though.
 

Cathy Ferguson

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Thats an insult to Anderson and Im being serious. He was twice the player of what Fred has shown so far
Yup. The early version of Anderson showed some great promise with good burst of pace. I thought Fred would bring this. He has not.
 

Adebesi

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I remind myself that Lindelof looked like a flop this time last year, now he is our most reliable defender. Fred has every chance of coming good once he settles into the PL. Way too early to write him off.
 

RedDevil@84

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I remind myself that Lindelof looked like a flop this time last year, now he is our most reliable defender. Fred has every chance of coming good once he settles into the PL. Way too early to write him off.
It ll be completely ridiculous to write off a player coming from a foreign club in his first season. Some people see him as a Jose signing (probably) and get all angry.
 

Adnan

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Again that's not the main point. The main point Mourinho wanted them or not Ed wasn't forced to follow him blindly and he proved that on 3 occasions already so agreeing on this deal is on him then.

If Ed got him because he was a Mourinho target and paid a ridiculous fee for him why didn't he accept to pay 70m of Toby or Maguire or 50m for Perisic ?

Reason is he thought they weren't worh the value of money asked.

So when he goes on and pays 50m for Fred in the same period then that proves he also thought he was worth the value asked. Otherwise could he have done what he did with Perisic, Willian and Toby and decided he wasn't worth the value asked and pack off from the deal.

If he's going to be praised for not sanctioning Perisic and Toby deals because they were over the odds then he deserved to be criticized for sanctioning Fred's deal for over the odds price, otherwise it'll be a double standard.

Are you going to give a reasonable reason for this contradiction or you're going to repeat the 'Mouinho's target, 400m' thing again ?
Toby and Perisic pursuits were abandoned due to them being over priced and having no resale value. I think most United fans would agree with Woodward there. He backed Mourinho in the chase for a 25 year old Brazilian International who has resale value and probably cost alot less in wages. Pretty easy to see why he turned away from signing two players who are approaching 30 due to the spiralling costs.