Fenerbahce manager Jose Mourinho
Jose Mourinho bemoaned the absence of Fred
Former Manchester United midfielder Fred is now a key player at Fenerbahce, with Jose Mourinho admitting his side badly missed the Brazilian in their Europa League clash against Rangers.
Fred spent five years at United before he was sold to Fenerbahce in 2023 for a cut-price fee and Mourinho was left bemoaning his absence as his side were beaten 3-1 by Rangers in the first leg of their Europa League last-16 tie.
"We lost a lot of duels, our passing was not fast," Mourinho admitted after the game. "To speak about Fred [who missed the game through suspension] is something that I don't like but he was playing fantastic and the team was playing fantastic with him there.
"Defensively we made incredible mistakes. They defend a lot with a very low block and then dangerous counters and we had no pace to follow that. I have to say that we deserved a punishment of this result. If someone wants to ask me if it's over, no, I don't think it's over."
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Mourinho was in charge at Old Trafford when Fred joined United in 2018 and the pair have since been reunited in Turkey. Fred has been Mourinho's midfield lynchpin as Fenerbahce rival Galatasaray in the Super Lig and United's own struggles suggest they could have used the 32-year-old at times this season.
Speaking after Mourinho was appointed as Fenerbahce boss, Fred told Sporx : "I worked with Mourinho at Manchester United. He took me there himself. 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.
Fred
Fred is a key player at Fenerbahce ( Image: ANP via Getty Images)
"Mourinho is someone with this mentality. We are working well and trying to move forward with confident steps. Our mentality is to always win every match. We have a good team, a good group.
"Of course, we expect new players to help our team. We always have to keep our heads up and keep fighting. Because we know what we can do, we know that we can be in the Champions League. What we have to do is fight."
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