Fred’s arrival is just what the doctor ordered for Manchester United.
Manchester United have signed Fred from Shakhtar Donetsk and it could very well prove to be a great piece of business by the Red Devils.
ManU’s newest addition, Fred (photo, CaughtOffside)
Fred was earlier linked with a move to Manchester United’s bitter cross-city rival, Manchester City. The deal was rumoured to have been nearing completion in February. But it was Jose Mourinho who won the prize.
Fred is currently training with the Brazilian squad and will travel to Russia to take part in the World Cup.
The 25-year-old will cost the English giants a reported fee of about £52 million ($69 million). His entrance will give Mourinho a powerful-looking midfield with the Brazilian set to slot in alongside Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matic.
I think Fred is far more of a creator than goalscorer–as his record of just 15 goals in five years at Shakhtar suggests. United are in need of midfield reinforcements with Michael Carrick retiring and Marouane Fellaini out of contract.
Fred will hope to make the same impact on the Premier League as have Brazilian international teammates Willian and Fernandinho, who also arrived in England after spells with Shakhtar.
Handed his debut by Dunga in 2014, Fred’s international career was disrupted after testing positive for the diuretic hydrochlorothiazide during the 2015 Copa America.
Fred didn’t return to the national team until a 3-0 friendly win over Russia in March. Tite, Brazil’s manager, was keen for his transfer to be completed before the World Cup starts on June 14.
“Players are always thinking of their careers,” Tite said after week’s 2-0 win over Croatia at Anfield, in which Fred featured as a substitute. “What you say is please resolve it as soon as possible so we can get them focused back on the task at hand with the national team. If I was a club manager, I would be looking to sign him.”
And United did just that.
