Louis Saha comes to the defence of Manchester United midfield duo Fred and Scott McTominay
Former Manchester United ace Louis Saha has come to the defence of midfielders Fred and Scott McTominay. The duo received criticism after the Red Devils lost the first game of the Premier League season against Brighton & Hove Albion.
Fred and McTominay started the game. The Brazilian was deployed in a deeper role by Erik ten Hag, playing as the pivot. On the other hand, the Scotland international was given the freedom to make runs in the attack.
Speaking to The Metro on behalf of ThePuntersPage, Saha supported Fred and McTominay and claimed the pair have their own respective qualities. The striker, who played for United for four seasons, feels the whole team is at fault for bad performances.
“Everybody has to contribute, so I don’t totally agree that all the pressure and criticisms should be put on Fred and McTominay.
“They’re both hard-working guys and you can see they’re both really committed to the game, so I think it’s unfair on them.
“It’s only the first game, they need to improve that’s for sure, but everybody needs to step up. There are some big games coming up, so we will see if they can bounce back from it.”
Fred and McTominay have been regulars at United for some time now. Under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, the two formed a partnership in the pivot positions. The duo saw a lot of game time under Ralf Rangnick as well.
Now, with Erik ten Hag at the club, the Brazilian and Scottish pair seem to be the trusted partnership again. The Dutch manager started the two against Brighton, but their roles were reversed.
Fred and McTominay have their qualities
Usually, it’s McTominay who stays back and defends. The Scotland international has decent defensive qualities. The 25-year-old has played at centre-back on many occasions for his national side.
Fred, on the other hand, has never really settled in his position at United. The Brazilian has played most of his career in the number eight position. But over the years in Manchester, due to players like Paul Pogba and Bruno Fernandes in the squad, the 29-year-old has been deployed as one of the pivots.
The former Shakhtar Donetsk star had a period in the previous campaign where he was allowed to play further up the pitch. The Brazilian seemed to thrive in the role.
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In fans’ opinion, Fred and McTominay aren’t up to United’s standards. The duo may be good enough to make the Red Devils’ squad, but we need more quality starting week in, week out for us to challenge for titles.
