Former Manchester United midfielder Fred has gone from strength to strength during his time in Turkiye with Fenerbahce.
The Brazil international joined United in 2018 from FC Shakhtar Donetsk and played for five seasons at the club.
He made 213 appearances, scoring 14 goals.
Fred also won the Carabao Cup in 2023, the only trophy he won during his spell at the club.
The midfielder eventually left Old Trafford in the summer of 2023 for Fenerbahce and has become a first team regular.
He played 35 times in his first season at the club and seems well-set to beat that total of appearances in the near future.
Fred has already played 31 times in all competitions this year, scoring four goals and providing seven assists.
The Brazilian even notched a rare hattrick early on in the summer against Rizespor in August.
Fred also played against his former team United in the 1-1 draw in the Europa League in October last year.
He was vital in his side’s first leg 3-0 win over Anderlecht earlier this month in the Europa League playoffs, completing 100% of his aerial duels and 85% of his passes, including six out of seven long ball attempts.
His side also lie second in the Turkish Super Lig, six points behind Galatasaray.
As well as the Europa League, Fenerbahce can still win the cup as they next take on Gaziantep F.K.at the end of the month. The 31 year old will hope that he can end his trophy drought with his new side this season one way or another.
Commenting on his move to Istanbul he claimed, “leaving United to come here was a huge change, but I’m very happy here. I’ve had a great start. It’s a different and wonderful country to live in.”
The Brazilian has also claimed that he feels that he has grown into a leadership role in the dressing room.
“I’m one of the most experienced. I’m not the captain, but I feel like I am,” said the 31 year old.
Fred’s current manager Jose Mourinho, who brought him to Old Trafford in 2018, has also commented on how important he is for his team. He stated after losing the Champions League qualifier against LOSC Lille, “I don’t like to say this but I miss Fred. He is an important player for us.”
There is no doubt that the tenacious midfielder is being appreciated more in Turkiye than he was in Manchester and will be glad at this stage of his career that he is finally getting consistent minutes to show his true worth as a player. It’s to be hoped though that his first taste of silverware at Fenerbahce does not come at the expense of beating United in the Europa League final.
Featured image Ahmad Mora via Getty Images
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Alex Browne
Alex is a huge Manchester United fan, inspired by greats of his homeland such as George Best, Harry Gregg and Norman Whiteside. Proud owner of such niche shirts such as Kleberson, Eric Djemba-Djemba and Gary Neville. Grew up pretending to be Ruud van Nistelrooy and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in the back garden, with little success.
