Fred has improved thanks to Casemiro. Now can he thrive for Man Utd without him?

He is closing in on 200 appearances for the club, yet Fred remains an enigma to those in and around Manchester United.

The now 29-year-old was seen as a midfield bodyguard and means of “unlocking Paul Pogba” when he was signed in the summer of 2018; yet four and a half seasons later, Fred has played for five different managers (including interims) in multiple positions. Including left-back. 

Half of the energetic but limited “McFred” central midfield pairing with Scott McTominay, Fred holds a puzzling place in the Old Trafford hierarchy; a better-imagined squad would not have a space for his unique talents, yet the flawed United of recent years have often looked poorer in his absence.

In March 2021, The Athletic asked “What is Fred?”, and theorised that while he makes more good football decisions than bad ones, physical and technical weaknesses mean he’s an often erratic presence in midfield. In his homeland of Brazil, he is a “segundo volante” — a do-everything central midfielder best paired with a more defensively-minded “primeiro volante”.

Fred — and the McFred partnership — was a sticking plaster for a part of the team in desperate need of an out-and-out defensive midfielder.

Thanks to the £60million purchase of Casemiro last summer, the answer to the question, “What is Fred to Manchester United?” has changed. He now appears to be new manager Erik ten Hag’s spoiler off the bench — improving after being given reduced on-field responsibilities and a clearer role. 

“Every time when he’s coming on, he’s ready,” said the United manager following the 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest on December 27. “He’s front foot and he brings the right quality to the game. That is great to have as a team and as a manager.”

Ten Hag has been complimentary of the Brazilian throughout his first season in charge, but has also made it clear that he is seen as more of a squad player than a consistent starter. Only nine of his 24 United appearances under the Dutchman have been in the starting XI, with just five of those nine coming in the Premier League.

“Of course, Fred wants to play every game,” Ten Hag says. “That’s not always possible and everyone has to battle for his position, but there’s good competition in the squad to play and to get into the starting XI, but, once again, we need those players coming from the bench and giving impact to the game.

“Definitely, Fred is the one — there are others as well, but Fred is the example.”

The midfielder’s high energy and enthusiasm for a tackle make him a useful option to send on when Ten Hag feels his team need an additional ball-winner in midfield during a match. His left-footedness is also of benefit to a manager who has regularly spoken of the balance to defending and “passing orientation” that players with a dominant left foot bring to his team.

In the Premier League, Fred typically comes on for Christian Eriksen to play next to Casemiro in the central midfield pivot; their partnership has been worked on over several years in the Brazil national team.

Casemiro’s presence has minimised the amount of work Fred needs to do in games, and subsequently he has looked a better player this season.

There are fewer moments where he stands with his arms outstretched in an apology after misplacing a ball to Luke Shaw or Bruno Fernandes, as the five-time Champions League winner is there to make such passes for him. Opposing teams are no longer using Fred as a pressing trigger on United goal kicks because a) he is no longer the midfielder to receive the ball from his goalkeeper and b) David de Gea is kicking longer.

Fred’s playing weaknesses are covered up for better in Ten Hag’s version of United, and he has repaid this kindness by focusing on his strengths — covering space in midfield and winning the ball back where possible. 

Ten Hag’s set-up for the Manchester derby at Old Trafford last weekend saw Fred starting alongside Casemiro in central midfield, with the specific task of man-marking Kevin De Bruyne. He performed admirably in the first half but lost the Belgian for early sections of the second as De Bruyne moved away from the position where he’d begun the match in an attempt to avoid Fred’s attentions.

Fred isn’t a perfect Ten Hag midfielder but there are fewer of those instances where he looks foolish after attempting to win possession this season as United have improved their collective counter-pressing. His personal talent ceiling has remained the same, but around him the floor has risen.

In United’s 2-1 derby win, Fred was part of a bespoke midfield plan designed to stop Pep Guardiola’s side.

Eriksen was moved to the No 10 position and given the job of stopping Rodri from receiving the ball whenever City tried to build from the back. Fernandes was moved to the right wing and asked to track Phil Foden and Bernardo Silva into deeper areas whenever City got forward.

This in turn meant Aaron Wan-Bissaka could focus more on defensive duels — in which he thrives — rather than defending the space for an eventual cutback cross that City have often used to get around him.

On the other side, Marcus Rashford was given similar instructions to follow Riyad Mahrez and to attack the space between Kyle Walker and Manuel Akanji whenever United regained possession.

Behind all of this was Casemiro, ready to mop things up if United needed him to. 

“It’s an idea to get another number in there (central midfield), to bring him there, so we have a plan with that,” said the United manager before the derby.

“They have to make choices and also that (could) give us space in the midfield or behind the defending line.”

Fred has improved thanks to Casemiro’s presence, but can he now step up in his absence?

The former Real Madrid midfielder is suspended for the game away to league leaders Arsenal today (Sunday), leaving Ten Hag without the foundational bedrock who made so many recent United performances  — including that bespoke system for the derby — possible.

The Dutchman has attempted to strike a confident tone, reminding fans that United won the reverse future without Casemiro, who only played the last 10 minutes, but that 3-1 victory in early September came when opposite number Mikel Arteta was without his best defensive midfielder, Thomas Partey.

Fred could again start against Arsenal and man-mark Martin Odegaard, but he will need help from a midfield partner(s) when dealing with the anticipated threats of Partey and Granit Xhaka.

There is a greater collective structure to United now, but a pairing of Fred-McTominay* or Fred-Eriksen does not quite offer the right blend of combative tackling and passing that Ten Hag desires in matches such as this. The return of Lisandro Martinez at centre-back and Shaw reverting to his long-time role at left-back after those recent games in central defence could help alleviate these issues. 

(*It is worth noting that Ten Hag often uses the word “power” when referring to McTominay, preferring to use the Scotsman in more advanced areas, where he can take advantage of his aerial threat and late runs into the box, rather than ask him to focus on passing or tackling. Future games may feature Fred and McTominay on the pitch at the same time, but the McFred central midfield pivot appears to be in decline.)

The best version of Fred at United remains one where he is helped by those around him. He is a ‘water-carrier’ who is at his best when the bucket isn’t too large.

This match will be a test for him but is something he will give his maximum effort in.

“I know I’m not the best player, not the most technical, but I give my blood and my life every time I’m on the pitch,” he admitted to South American TV channel TNT Sports in February last year. “As we say in Brazil — I carry the piano for the artists to play.”

The best Manchester United squads of the past have carried a healthy balance of piano carriers and piano players.

Fred is no longer an “essential” starting midfielder in Ten Hag’s version, but he certainly has his uses.

The Brazilian has a new niche for the United of 2022-23. 

(Top photo: Naomi Baker/Getty Images)