Generally speaking, once it becomes clear that a player isn’t fitting in at a certain club then it’s best for everyone if they move on.
There are so few examples of someone bouncing back once the fans and pundits turn on them, but Fred has managed to prove he has a role to play at Old Trafford going forward.
When he first arrived he was like a headless chicken, always out of position and his use of the ball was dreadful. It might be a push to say he’s a superstar that the team can’t do without, but he compliments those around him and looks useful.
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The Daily Mail looked at some comments from his personal trainer, and it’s clear that the Brazilian had to put a lot of work in to force his way back into the side:
“I can say that the merit is entirely his. He has dedicated himself a lot to get where he is currently. We know that performance is something that is not easily achieved, commitment, effort and self-responsibility are necessary and Fred fulfilled all these factors very well together with the club, that does an excellent job with all the players.”
“My contribution with Fred is to help him manage all the factors that influence performance – physical conditioning, sleep quality, nutrition, hydration and mindset.”
“These are independent actions but they are related and have a high correlation with sports performance. Any athlete needs to present a balance in these areas, in order to be able to maintain good levels of performance.”
“We monitor his quality and quantity of sleep, body weight, level of muscle, and mental fatigue every day. We do training sessions in order to improve his movement quality and energy use during training and games.”
We just presume that top athletes are already in peak condition so that shouldn’t have anything to do with it, but Fred has proven that hard work can still take you a long way.
It’s unlikely the fans will be too upset when he’s not in the team, but his performances have led us to the point where it would be a surprise if he was sold now.