Manchester United look set to make their first major signing of the summer by adding highly rated Brazilian midfielder Fred to their ranks.
The Shaktar Donetsk schemer is a box-to-box dynamo with the sort of technique and passing ability that we associate with South America. He’s also a keen dribbler of the ball and a very energetic player to boot.
British media outlet, The Guardian, states:
Manchester United are closing in on the signing of the Brazil midfielder Fred from Shakhtar Donetsk for €50m (£43.7m)
United are in advanced talks with the Ukrainian club and representatives of Fred, who had also interested Manchester City as a potential long-term replacement for Fernandinho, and hope to finalise a deal in the coming days.
Here he is in full flight and he looks like an all-action player. That said, a Youtube highlights reel I once saw made Anderson look better than Pele.
Manchester United fans will get a chance to see their new man in World Cup action this summer as the 25-year-old beat off fierce competition to become a surprise inclusion in the 23 man Brazil squad who are one of the favourites for the trophy.
The diminutive distributor, who stands 5ft 6in and change, has been playing for Shaktar since 2013. He’s played 156 times and scored 14 goals for the Ukranian Premier League giants.
And he’s also played the odd game for Brazil – he has 7 caps – since his debut in 2014.
Overall it’s an unspectacular if very important signing for the club. Fred will be expected to sit alongside Nemanja Matic and provide more solidity in midfield which, in turn will free up Paul Pogba to do more damage at the business end of the park.
Manchester United will also hope that Fred improves the team’s ability to make keys passes in tight games. They have been severely lacking in this area of late and, at 43.7M GBP, you’d expect him to be more than a mere destroyer.