da betsson： This article is part of Football FanCast’s In Numbers series, which takes a statistical look at performances, season-long form and reported transfer targets…
da bet sport： When Manchester United seemingly fended off competition from arch-rivals Manchester City to land the signature of Shakhtar Donetsk lynchpin, Fred, last summer, the Red Devils may have been hoping for the Brazilian to hold down the fort in midfield.
Instead, the 26-year-old struggled to force his way into the United first-team for any consistent period of time, and by the end of the campaign, had managed just 25 appearances across all competitions – with only 17 of them coming in the Premier League.
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Signings from abroad are always likely to take some time to find their feet, and the Brazil international will surely have made plans to kick on in his second season at Old Trafford. However, his plans were slightly interrupted when he missed some of the club’s pre-season tour for his wedding, and that no doubt halted any chance of him making significant progress.
But in recent weeks, the £47m man has become a key part of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side, starting and completing the previous four Premier League games. And in a largely insipid team display in the 1-0 defeat to Bournemouth on Saturday afternoon, Fred was arguably the only man who could hold his head up high after the game.
In truly horrendous weather conditions, Fred showed no signs of melting under the intense rain and wind. As Bournemouth’s Philip Billing and Jefferson Lerma looked to impose their game in the middle of the park, the former Shakhtar man looked to fight fire with fire. As per Sofascore, he completed two clearances, three tackles and and made two interceptions as he set about trying to hustle the Bournemouth midfield.
And with Paul Pogba still absent, the Red Devils have been crying out for a midfield magician, capable of pulling the strings. On Saturday, Fred did everything he possibly could to help Solskjaer’s side to turn things around against the Cherries, constantly wanting to get on the ball and create chances for his teammates. His total of three key passes were a joint game-high with Ryan Fraser, whilst his 90 touches in the game were the most of any player on the pitch.
The £120k-a-week man produced a display that provides some real encouragement that he could yet enjoy a successful career at Old Trafford. In recent weeks, pundits like Charlie Nicholas and Lee Dixon have raised serious concerns about the midfielder’s ability with the ball, and that he simply isn’t good enough. Well, at the weekend, Fred silenced his doubters in emphatic fashion.