Fred might have thought he had seen the last of Jose Mourinho when Manchester United handed the Portuguese his P45 in December 2018.
Only a few months after playing a key role in the Brazilian’s £47 million arrival at Old Trafford, Fred watched on as the man who brought him to England in the first place was booted out the door following an insipid defeat to arch rivals Liverpool.
But if Fred felt as if he had unfinished business with Mourinho, then his prayers were answered when the two former Manchester United man were reunited in Istanbul last month.
And with Fenerbahce determined to ascend the summit of Turkish football again – ten years after their last Super Lig title – then who better than the arch trophy winner himself to turn that dream into a reality?
Fred reunited with former Manchester United boss
Fener could hardly have come any closer in 2023/24.
Ismail Kartal guided Fred and co to 99 points and just one league defeat but still ended the campaign out of a job and without a league title, bitter rivals Galatasaray breaking the 100-point barrier.
Now, six years after their time together at Man United ended after only a few short and largely disappointing months, could the Fred/Mourinho partnership be the driving force behind a successful title charge over in Turkey?
“I worked with Mourinho at Manchester United. He took me there himself,” Fred tells Sporx. “Everyone knows what a good coach he is.
“He is a very big name. He is someone who always wants to win. We are very happy to be working with him. We have a long season ahead of us and we always want to win.”
“We want to be champions in the league, (and) we want to be in the Champions League. Mourinho is someone with this mentality.
“We are working well and trying to move forward with confident steps.”
Mourinho has wasted no time in bewitching the Fenerbahce supporters. Greeted by an arrival that would put Alan Shearer’s Tyneside unveiling back in 1995 to shame, the former Chelsea, Inter Milan and Real Madrid manager already has the Fener fanbase dreaming that the glory days are on their way back to the Sukru Sarakoglu Stadium.
Fenerbahce aiming for the title with Jose Mourinho
“The training with Mourinho is going well,” adds Fred, who left Man United last summer in a £13 million. “The training we have done with him is very intense. We are training for long periods of time, but it has to be this way.
“We will start an important season. We are training well. We have made a good start. We need to be fit.”
Mourinho recently ruled out a deal that would see him reunited with former Man United frontman Romelu Lukaku at Fenerbahce. According to The Telegraph, however, the Super Lig runners up are in active negotiations with Victor Lindelof.
Another player Mourinho brought to Old Trafford for big money.
Fred’s record at Fenerbahce, meanwhile, speaks for itself. Kartal’s team were unbeaten in his 25 league appearances, winning 22, with the midfielder’s impact likened to that of basketball legend Michael Jordan at the Chicago Bulls in the 1990s.
The only frustration is that Fred did not feature more often. Had he not missed 13 matches through injury and suspension, would the title have ended up on the other side of the Istanbul divide?
“Last season was difficult for me,” the Brazil international sighs. “It was the first time I had so many injuries. It was difficult for me.
“It could have been different if I had not had so many injuries, but there is nothing we can do. We need to keep our heads up. I will come back stronger for the new season. I worked during the holiday and I’m fit.
“I hope I don’t get injured. I also have a coach I work with at home. I hope we all do better this season.”