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Roy Keane heaped praise on Manchester United midfielder Fred for his outstanding display in their 3-1 win over Reading in the fourth round of the FA Cup.
The Red Devils cruised past the Championship outfit at Old Trafford on January 28, courtesy of a brace from Casemiro and one goal from Fred. Amadou Salif Mbengue scored the only goal for the away side.
Fred came off the bench in the second half after Christian Eriksen went off with a nasty-looking ankle injury and made an immediate impact.
He set up Casemiro with a short ball just minutes after the former Real Madrid man had opened the scoring for the home side.
Then in the 66th minute, the Brazilian got on the scoresheet himself with a wonderful finish from a corner played on nicely by Bruno Fernandes.
Manchester United sailed into the next round of the FA Cup and Keane was all praise for Fred after the game for his heroics.
Speaking to ITV Sport, the Irishman said (via Mirror):
"That's probably what I think is his role - coming off the bench, particularly in games like this when the game is done. Reading fall asleep at a corner, United have looked a bit better on set pieces recently. He just walks in there, he’s obviously got a trick, lovely little finish. Poor from Reading, but lovely little finish."
Keane's comments mark a drastic U-turn in his own view of Fred. The Irishman has been critical of him in the past, particularly following United's 2-0 loss to Manchester City in November 2021.
He claimed that he would grab then-manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer by the collar and ask why he keeps playing Fred in the middle of the park.
The Brazil international hit back at Keane for his criticism by insisting that he doesn't pay attention to all the outside noise and has certainly turned things around since.
Manchester United are on a roll
Following a slow start under Erik ten Hag, Manchester United seem to have finally clicked into gear, winning 11 of their last 13 matches in all competitions.
Marcus Rashford has been in the form of his life, scoring 18 goals and providing six assists in 29 games across competitions. The rest of the squad have also stepped up, exuding a sense of confidence not seen in them for some time.
Even though the Premier League remains a long shot, the EFL Cup is well within their grasp and the Red Devils could win their first title in six years.
Manchester United are 3-0 up against Nottingham Forest after their first leg of the EFL Cup semi-final.
