Reports claim that Manchester United are closing in on the signing of Shakhtar Donetsk midfielder, Fred. The transfer fee agreed upon by both parties is reported to be £43m initially and £52.2m after add-ons. Jose Mourinho has been on the 25-year-old’s tail for quite some time and is ready to announce his first signing of the 2018 summer window.
This could be the mark of an immediate change at the Old Trafford after what has been an exhausting 2017/18 campaign. The Red Devils finished the season 19 points behind their next door rivals, Manchester City and even lost out to Chelsea in the FA Cup final last month.
Ed Woodward and the fans have dealt Mourinho a final hand – to make team improvements and upstage Pep Guardiola and the rest of the Premier League to major honours next season. Fred could very well answer some of the most obvious questions in the United ranks.
The Brazilian scored 4 times and furthered 7 assists in his 37 appearances for Shakhtar the last term. He has over 150 appearances for the Ukrainian outfit and is currently in fine form. The 25-year-old was even named in the 23-man Brazil squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, scheduled to take place in Russia in a couple of weeks.
Fred brings a bout of defensive stability into his side’s midfield along with the potential to really drive the offence. He could be the right figure to implement Mourinho’s defensive style of play alongside the likes of Nemanja Matic, Paul Pogba and Ander Herrera.
The latter trio has mostly been deployed by the Portuguese boss last season, with backup options in Scott McTominay, Michael Carrick and Marouane Fellaini. However, Carrick has already retired from professional football and Fellaini is set to run out of a contract soon.
This would leave the United midfield a bit short staffed, especially if Pogba also makes his way out of Manchester this summer. The Frenchman has faced quite a bit of unsettlement issues under the former Galactico boss and might be open to a move.
In turn, Fred will have massive responsibilities on his shoulders with almost a cemented spot in the starting XI. His arrival will allow the midfield to rest easy, allowing players like Jesse Lingard and Alexis Sanchez to storm ahead on the counters.
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Mourinho will also be able to rely on the midfielder’s versatile abilities to better implement his philosophies onto the pitch.
