‘There’s no doubting his talent’ – Solskjaer backs flop signing to turn his Manchester United career around

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Manchester United caretaker boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer believes that Fred can still be a success at Old Trafford, despite a frustrating start.

The Brazilian midfielder secured a £52 million switch to Man United last summer from Shakhtar Donetsk – as per the Daily Mirror – but he has since been unable to establish himself in the starting XI, featuring in just 15 games across all competitions this season.

Jose Mourinho had hoped that the 25-year-old’s arrival at the club would help free up Paul Pogba in midfield, but United endured a disastrous first half of the 2018-19 campaign, slipping into mid-table and out of contention for a spot in the Premier League’s top four.

The Portuguese boss ultimately lost his job in December and since then United have enjoyed a miraculous resurgence under Solskjaer, winning all of his first eight fixtures at the helm.

The Norwegian boss has rotated the squad fairly with games coming thick and fast and although Fred has only taken in three appearances since he took charge, Solskjaer has backed the flop signing to turn his Man United career around.

“It’s about the players being ready when they get a chance and Fred, he’s been working hard in training, he’s a good lad,” Solskjaer began, as per the Daily Mirror.

“It’s the same with Andreas [Pereira] and Scott [McTominay] because when they get the chance, and they will, we want to see improvement. And we know there’s a very, very good player there with Fred, so hopefully, he’ll adjust to the English game because there’s no doubting of his talent.

fred man utd

“It’s always difficult to come here. One, it’s Man United, you’re expected to perform straight away. Two, it’s an English league that he’s not used to, but he is a Brazilian international.”

Solskjaer was speaking ahead of United’s latest Premier League showdown against Burnley on Tuesday night at Old Trafford, which is a must-win game for his side to close the gap between themselves and fourth-placed Chelsea.

The Red Devils have re-emerged as contenders for Champions League qualification after their winning run and with fixtures against Leicester City and Fulham to come after Burnley, many experts are backing their recent form to continue.

Fred could be in line to feature against Burnley this evening and if he does play a part in the match a good performance could persuade his new manager to grant him a run in the team.

As per the Mirror, Solskjaer went on to compare the Brazil international’s slow start at the club with two other former players and colleagues of his Diego Forlan and Juan Sebastian Veron, as he added: “There are loads of players that have come in and found the first few months difficult.

Two of the best players I played with who struggled the most were Diego Forlan and Juan Sebastian Veron, you know those two fantastic players, but when they settled, they performed.

More Stories Diego Forlan Fred Jose Mourinho Juan Sebastian Veron Ole Gunnar Solskjaer Paul Pogba