The Brazilian midfielder had a great outing against Leipzig in the Champions League.
Manchester United steamrolled Leipzig 5-0 in the Champions’ League Group H clash at Old Trafford.
Marcus Rashford made it to the headlines for scoring a hat-trick in the second half coming off the bench. But there is one player who was overlooked during the win: Fred.
The Brazilian midfielder’s impressive work in the midfield went down the radar though it was key to United’s win.
Fred featured in the starting line-up alongside Nemanja Matic, Paul Pogba and Donny van de Beek in the midfield diamond.
The Brazilian sported an impressive display, as his numbers say it, standing out as the best of all the midfielders.
The former Shakhtar Donetsk man managed a total of 72 touches while completing 12 passes in the final third. His defensive numbers – 3 tackles and 3 interceptions – showed how robust he was for the entire course. Besides, two of his ball recoveries led to the goals of Mason Greenwood and Rashford.
Fred also put a tad similar display against Chelsea last week where the game ended in a stalemate.
Former Manchester United legend Paul Scholes had high praises for the midfield duo of McTominay and Fred.
“When they have the two [Fred and McTominay] in front of them, they look different.”They had that little bit of protection that’s helped them. Not all of them [need it].”
“You’re a defender for a reason, you’re supposed to be okay one-on-one, sometimes it can take away the attacking side of the team which it has done in the last couple of games, especially against Chelsea on Saturday. Fred and McTominay have definitely made them look better players, and they’ll prefer that.”
