Bruno Fernandes left in disbelief at what a former Manchester United star, who departed under Erik ten Hag, has done for his side.
Manchester United have sold numerous players in recent years. Some for good reason, others not so much.
Erik ten Hag was a manager who, amid his mass exodus, brought in a lot of new players – who coincidentally, Manchester United are trying to get rid of under Ruben Amorim.
Some top players do slip through the cracks. Scott McTominay has been a revelation at Napoli, for example. Another is his partner in crime – Fred – who has done well in Turkey.
Fred
Photo by Robin Jones/Getty Images
Fred scores wondergoal for Fenerbahce
Fred became one of Fenerbahce’s star men under Jose Mourinho since leaving United under Ten Hag in 2023. And now, even at 32, he’s doing the business.
The Turkish side took on Feyenoord in a crucial Champions League qualifier, with Fred’s side trailing 2-1 on aggregate.
They went 1-0 down, meaning it was 3-1 on aggregate – but then a classic Mourinho fightback happened. Englishman Archie Brown scored, followed by former Aston Villa man Jhon Duran. 3-3 on aggregate.
Step forward, Fred. The Brazilian picked up the ball in the middle of the park and galloped towards goal. Around 30 yards out, he whipped the ball expertly, and it sailed into the top-left corner past a helpless Dutch keeper. Sensational.
This set the tone for the Turks, who went on to score two more and comfortably advance to the play-off round in the Champions League.
Bruno Fernandes blown away by Fred
Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes took to his Instagram to laud the Brazilian. He wrote on his story (translated into English): “What is that Fred!”
Bruno Fernandes message to Fred
Fred was always a misunderstood player for the Red Devils. He arrived with a hefty price tag, which didn’t help – but he always left it all on the pitch.
Funnily enough, he’d be quite useful in Ruben Amorim’s system, and now the Red Devils are looking to splash £100m on Carlos Baleba. Ironic.