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Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has restated his belief in Fred after he came in for criticism from Roy Keane.
The former Manchester United midfielder-turned-pundit has always been critical of the Brazil international and once again castigated him for his showing against Southampton last Saturday.
Speaking at half-time after the Red Devils had gone 2-0 down to the Saints, Keane said:
''I’d be more critical of Fred. Fred giving away the free-kick,"
“I’d be disappointed with my goalkeeper, but I’d be more disappointed with Fred for being really lazy and really sloppy. Giving away free-kicks in that area is like giving away a penalty.
“Corners can happen, obviously, you’ll take that, but the free-kick, if you look at Fred closely, I’ve been criticising him for years. My eyes don’t lie to me. Really poor decision, really lazy.”
However, the 27-year-old was on the field for the full 90 minutes, and recent comments made by his manager suggests that he remains an integral player for the Red Devils.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had said after the victory away at Everton:
''You see all the tackles that Scott and Fred were winning in the middle there, we're tight, we're compact, we win the ball, we play, we've got spaces, that's how we want to see these boys. So we're very pleased with that.
"Scott and Fred have done brilliantly together. They're a great partnership.They had that energy in the engine room.
“They're always key for us, so our creative players can go on and create chances, show their magic. They're so disciplined and we're very pleased with the two of them.”
The improving form of Donny Van de Beek could impact Fred's future at Manchester United
With a few hours to go until the end of the summer transfer window, Donny van de Beek was the only new arrival at Manchester United before a flurry of late activity saw four new players signed on Deadline Day.
The Netherlands international had shone brightly for Ajax and emerged as a transfer target for several top clubs before signing for the Old Trafford outfit.
He, however, had a slow start to life in the Premier League and was limited to making sporadic appearances off the bench, leading many to question why Manchester United signed him in the first place.
The 23-year-old has, however, become a mainstay in the starting line-up in recent weeks, after taking advantage of his opportunity to show his importance.
It remains to be seen what Solskjaer's preferred midfield combination would be but the Manchester United manager is undoubtedly better off by having an abundance of options to pick from.
