Brazilian outlet UOL features today a pretty long interview with Manchester United midfielder Fred.
With a headline saying ‘Cry, haters’, they recall the improvement he’s had since moving to Old Trafford in 2018.
The 28-year-old says he was affected by personal issues when making the move from Shakhtar Donetsk, and that was one of the reasons why he couldn’t perform the way he wanted in his first year.
“When I arrived at the club my wife was pregnant and it was a whirlwind, many things happening. I had just played the Cup and came back injured, I was in a gigantic club. Personal life was not balanced, and that on the pitch affects a little. Then my son was born, we started to settle down at home and professional life also improved. One thing led to another”.
Regarding his adaptation, Fred claims he found a different game in English football, as he was used to another type of tactics and easier opponents in Ukraine.
“It’s very different from the first year, which was a shock. I was called a flop when I came here, I didn’t do that well and I had few opportunities, too. Last season I did well and this third one is being the best in terms of playing a lot of matches, having great games, having fully adapted to English football.
“I think I have adapted very well to English football now. And it’s totally different to join a team like United here and Shakhtar in the Ukrainian League. We had the ball there the whole game, in most games. We only attacked, there was almost no danger for the defence. So I played in the last third of the field, even though I was the second midfielder. And here it’s totally different, you sometimes take on the bottom side, you have to defend well and try to score a goal there. It’s totally different, it’s complicated”.
Now fully settled and ready to play in the Premier League, the midfielder claims he’s in one of the best forms he’s ever had.
Fred also talked about his wedding in 2019, as he missed part of the pre-season for that. Even though that was a reason for controversy at the time, he claims there were no problems with the club.
“The team was coming back a week before, so I had to talk to the staff and they all agreed, so much so that I went to my wedding calmly. I performed normally in Manchester, then the team travelled to Australia. I stayed, trained the other day and then travelled to Brazil. I stayed two days, got married and went back to the pre-season. Today, everyone says, ‘oh, Fred is a joke, missed the pre-season’. But people don’t really know what happened”.
With 33 appearances this season so far, Fred is indeed having his most regular year at Manchester United, starting in most of the Red Devils’ matches this season, helped somewhat by Paul Pogba’s injury issues.
