Aniket Rai
Fred reveals he felt isolated at Manchester United after his transfer to the club in 2018
Speaking to Sportsmail (h/t Daily Mail), Fred revealed that he felt isolated and alone in the first few months after his transfer to Manchester United more than 2 years ago.
The Brazilian midfielder joined United from Shakhtar Donetsk in 2018 in a £52million deal. But he revealed that the first few months were difficult and that he ‘lacked support’.
“At the beginning, I felt the distance from other players and I even felt alone sometimes.”
Fred said that not knowing the language was a barrier as well. But he believed that working hard in the training hard was the only way to progress at the club.
“I knew there was just one recipe to success: keep on training, not letting those bad comments affect my mind.”
Fred was also struggling to gain Jose Mourinho’s trust, who was the club’s manager then. The Portuguese even said that he could not start him as he did not fulfil his midfield duties. (h/t Mirror)
A fresh start under Solskjaer
All of that changed under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Fred made just 13 league starts in his first season at the club. But this season, he has already played 14 times in the Premier League before even entering February.
The 27-year-old is now a vital part of Solskjaer’s midfield. He has found his spot in the starting XI and now says that the players are good friends with each other.
“We are all friends here at United,’ says Fred. ‘But it is good to feel that everyone wants a spot in the starting XI.”
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Fred would be hoping to get the same preference in the second half of the season as the Red Devils make a charge for their first Premier League title since 2013.
