Ben Guest
Jose Mourinho has said revealed why he has barely utilised summer signing Fred this season, saying that he is still settling in at Old Trafford.
Much was expected of the dynamic Brazilian when he swapped Shakhtar Donetsk for Manchester United in the summer for £52m, with United beating their Manchester rivals Man City to his signature.
However, the 25-year-old has made just seven appearances in the Premier League this season, and hasn’t really shown the quality he did for the Ukrainian outfit.
Speaking ahead of this weekend’s game against Fulham, Jose Mourinho has said that he is still adjusting, and could start playing more once he shores up his flimsy defence.
“Step by step,” Mourinho said in his pre-match press conference.
“You have also other players in other clubs that needed their time and you have some of them that played even less than what Fred is playing.
“I think Fred, when the team is defensively stronger and doesn’t need in midfield people that is more worried in giving balance to the team than being involved in creation and attacking dynamic, the day we are stronger defensively, I think the horizons for Fred change completely.”
Fred was completely left out of United’s match day squad for their 2-2 draw with Arsenal on Wednesday evening.