Aniket Rai
Fred did not start for Manchester United in their 3-1 win against West Ham United on Saturday
Speaking in the post-match interview (h/t Manchester Evening News) following a 3-1 win against West Ham United in London, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer clarified the reason behind Fred being left out of the Manchester United squad against the Hammers.
Fred was sent off last week against PSG when a 70th-minute tackle on Ander Herrera was deemed worthy of a second yellow card.
After drawing much criticism for the performance, Fred’s absence from the matchday squad against West Ham United raised a few eyebrows.
Questions were being raised within the fanbase and some feared that the absence could have been due to an injury. (h/t Manchester Evening News)
Solskjaer started a midfield three of Paul Pogba, Scott McTominay and Nemanja Matic whereas Fred wasn’t even on the United bench.
However, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer clarified in the post-match interview that Fred was left out for purely tactical reasons as the Norwegian wanted “height” in his midfield against West Ham United.
“Fred’s not injured. He’s getting ready for the rest of the season because we’ve got a long season it was a tactical decision to go with more physically strong, or height, height is more right than physically right. Paul [Pogba] and Scott [McTominay] and Nemanja [Matic] were my three midfielders I brought down for this one.”
The decision paid off as United came back from 1-0 down to turn the game around and win 3-1.
The win takes the Red Devils to 5th in the table, just 5 points behind league leaders Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool, with United having played one game lesser than the teams above them.
Fred is also suspended for United’s do-or-die clash against RB Leipzig in the UEFA Champions League group stages next week.
The Brazilian midfielder can be expected to feature next against Manchester City in the Manchester derby next weekend.
