Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has hailed the consistency of Scott McTominay, Nemanja Matic and Fred during his time at Premier League giants Manchester United but Roy Keane is not convinced by his assessment of one of that trio.
Much was made, during Solskjaer’s time in the Old Trafford dugout, of the limitations of that so-called ‘McFred’ midfield.
The irony is, of course, that Manchester United could have done with Fred’s presence alongside the aforementioned Scot during Sunday’s 3-1 defeat by rivals Man City, the Red Devils lacking a player of the Brazilian’s energy, tenacity and infectious enthusiasm since his £13 million departure to Fenerbahce last summer.
Solskjaer loved working with Fred at Manchester United
Solskjaer, speaking on The Overlap’s Stick to Football podcast, cannot speak highly enough of Fred, McTominay and the Serbian powerhouse Matic, and could only wish that the rest of the United players at his disposal possessed the same ‘consistency’.
“It’s that consistency again… play well for a time, then you don’t know what you’re going to get. And that’s the worst thing for a manager,” sighs Solskjaer, who’s time in charge was beset by performances which flitted from the awesome to the abysmal.
“If you don’t know what you’re going to get from your team, it’s horrible. Absolutely horrible.
“That’s why when you have a Fred, Scott, Nemanja, you have players who you know they’re going to give you seven, eight out of ten every time. They’re going to give you everything. That’s the best feeling (for a manager).”
Roy Keane is not quite so effusive
Now, if you asked us, ‘consistency’ is not quite the word that comes to mind when discussing Fred in particular. Consistency in terms of work ethic, sure. But performance? Arguably no player during Solskjaer’s era summed up that Man United team more than a midfielder who looked worthy of a place in Brazil’s greatest sides one minute only to follow it up with a misplaced pass more akin to non-league.
“Fred?,” quizzes a bemused Roy Keane. “Seven, eight (out of ten). Not sure about that one?
Solskjaer counters by arguing that, despite his many faults, Fred’s ‘legs in midfield’ made him absolutely integral to United’s gameplan.
Given how sluggish and one-paced Erik ten Hag’s engine room has looked in recent months – Casemiro and Christian Eriksen ageing badly and Sofyan Amrabat adding to the problem – whoever finds himself in the United hotseat in 2024/25 would benefit from finding another player with Fred’s never-say-die spirit and seemingly endless energy reserves.