It was just one more example of the club’s poor planning and execution in the transfer market, the latest in a long line of players bought at great expense only to later be shipped out at a huge loss to barely a ripple of consternation.
Fred was far from perfect even in this secondary role. He could be guilty of a brainless pass every now and then and he played with a frantic energy that kept him on the edge of conceding a costly free kick or a needless caution. “Fred has a lot of qualities,” Casemiro said of his Selecao team-mate upon signing for United in 2022. “I think he’s a player that has good movement. He’s very mobile, passes the ball well, he has a good shot on him, he can play with both feet, left or right, he can pass the ball well with either foot. He’s a great player. That’s why he plays for Brazil and he’s a very important player at this club and I think he’ll help me a great deal as he’s Brazilian. I think he’ll help me a lot at the club.