I don’t see this creative midfielder out there apart from Pogba. Bruno is meant to be playing between the lines and he was terrible. Matic is always invisible. Our forwards are meant to be creating plenty for each other too but they can’t. Even if our midfield was 3 youth players surely our very highly paid forwards should be expected to have the ability to create at least a few good chances independent of how the midfield get the ball to them.
Fred - £47m well spent
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I don’t see this creative midfielder out there apart from Pogba. Bruno is meant to be playing between the lines and he was terrible. Matic is always invisible. Our forwards are meant to be creating plenty for each other too but they can’t. Even if our midfield was 3 youth players surely our very highly paid forwards should be expected to have the ability to create at least a few good chances independent of how the midfield get the ball to them.
He’s as good as Makelele though no? 
Our midfield pairings are some of the worst in the league. We lose the midfield battle 90%+ of the time. They never controlled a game in their life and they offer feck all with the ball. Could swap them with any midtable club and we’d be no worse off.
Our midfield pairings are some of the worst in the league. We lose the midfield battle 90%+ of the time. They never controlled a game in their life and they offer feck all with the ball. Could swap them with any midtable club and we’d be no worse off.
People actually really rate him on here and its honestly so funny. Such a limited footballer, and the fact he's seen as key to us shows where we currently are as a club.
That's exactly the kind of thing I'm going to get told by my line manager when we have our 'monthly conversation' next week.
Think about it for a moment. £50 mill Fred cost. Thats serious money for a good player...except hes anything but. Hes inconsistant by the minute, never mind by the game. Thats why we always have to have another defensive minded midfielder to play by his side and that is holding us back from competing for the big prizes.
Plays like a youth player.
He's just nowhere near the level required. We'll eventually replace him with a quality player and wonder how he was ever rated to begin with.
Sorry I disagree. Fred is a good player and better than Herrera. He was poor tonight, but he was the only one in midfield moving the ball any way quickly. He got a nice assist against Sociedad. Matic was worse tonight, so slow.
I agree that we need a top signing in there but there’s no way the owners will sanction the 3 top players needed.
What are the things that Fred does that make him better than Herrera?
Yeah, sometimes you think you’re watching a completely different sport to others.
The most horrible display of passing I've seen from him this season.
Deserves an award really.
Deserves an award really.
There's plenty here who rate him as a key player. He wouldn't make it into our top 25 midfielders of the last 30 years..just shows how far our standards have dropped.
What...? I am normally not a Fred-basher but Herrera is a far superior player. Much, much faster on the ball - something which I think we'd all agree that we sorely lack right now. Plus Herrera rarely loses possession, which is exceptional given how frequently he turns and passes forward.
Anyway, I'm not knocking Fred here but these two are in different tiers - and it's not close.
Better at intercepting the ball. That's all I got.
Is aware of the space around him and so regularly turns on the ball to make a forward pass. His range of passing off both feet is better. His covering ground defensively and tackling.
I am truly baffled by this position, never met a single United fan with anything like this stance and it seems like you might never have watched Herrera. Are you sure you've seen Herrera play?
Over their careers he doesnt come close with interceptions per 90 mins. Very close in tackles per 90 (but lower tackles won) and averages 1.1 more pressures per 90 and more blocks than Ander
Maybe they're counting what you think of as interceptions as a block or something
I agree with all of this apart from the highly paid bit, means jack shit since agents and players took over. We did create a few good chances tbf but no way good enough
Hi. Yes, I’ve seen Herrera play, remember him for Bilbao. He often frustrated me because he passed backwards so much. He was very average on the ball. Fred turns and moves the ball quicker and has a better engine.
Don’t get me wrong, I liked him cos he was passionate and helped us win a couple things but Fred is better for me and I’m sure others would agree.
Over their careers he doesnt come close with interceptions per 90 mins. Very close in tackles per 90 (but lower tackles won) and averages 1.1 more pressures per 90 and more blocks than Ander
Maybe they're counting what you think of as interceptions as a block or something
Yes perhaps. Overall they look pretty close defensively.
I'm really disappointed. Thought he made it but he has been horrendous recently. He's back to whatever shit he was doing in his first 1.5 year here.
Pretty much useless while attacking. A hindrance rather than being helpful.
Pretty much useless while attacking. A hindrance rather than being helpful.
When he's bad. Good god its bad.
I cant help but like him, but the limitations are so clear its painful.
I cant help but like him, but the limitations are so clear its painful.
I know i will get mocked for saying this and fair enough but, i honestly think Luke Shaw could do a better job than Fred.
Telles in for Shaw at LB. I’m not sure there is anything Fred does that Shaw couldn’t do.
Happy to be laughed at but so pissed off at Fred.
I am pretty sure the opposition are happy to give him space anywhere on the pitch as he on has sporadic good spells. Ball over the top today in 2nd half was super weighted. Another yellow and was not even close to winning ball.
I am anti Fred to say but watched the game again and he has strange trait of pointing and stamping foot after corners, as if he is running the show.
Has the class/ability inside somewhere but cannot deliver consistently. Don’t really care about price tag / value debate. Bring on the transfer window. Everton beckons
Telles in for Shaw at LB. I’m not sure there is anything Fred does that Shaw couldn’t do.
Happy to be laughed at but so pissed off at Fred.
I am pretty sure the opposition are happy to give him space anywhere on the pitch as he on has sporadic good spells. Ball over the top today in 2nd half was super weighted. Another yellow and was not even close to winning ball.
I am anti Fred to say but watched the game again and he has strange trait of pointing and stamping foot after corners, as if he is running the show.
Has the class/ability inside somewhere but cannot deliver consistently. Don’t really care about price tag / value debate. Bring on the transfer window. Everton beckons
he’s better at putting his arms in the air and apologising. Must do it a dozen times a match.
otherwise, runs about more. That’s all.
People say Herrera is overrated, but the reality is the amount he got bashed here non stop since he left actually made him end up being underrated if anything.
genuine question, why do you like him?
over his time with us, he’s been poor far far more than ok. I’m sure he’s a decent chap, and he tries hard. But that’s nowhere near good enough.
He is somehow one of the first names on the team sheet when in reality he shouldn’t even be here anymore.
Well I mean you literally reiterated what I did?
i haven’t. Is the reason you like him because he tries hard?
Yes he has his uses, as a squad player who we could have got for 15-20m. And yeah he will probably look better vs City where his relentless running and harassing will catch the eye while we get overrun and beat.
This semi fossil Matic was still better than Fred and actually tried to pass the ball between the lines unlike Fred who was abysmal.
Fred is so limited, still hard to believe that we were conned into paying 50m; what is he good at? He can't pass, can't shoot, poor positional play for a DM, way out of his depth. We will never win a league with him in midfield. He can run all day, but this is football, not athletics.
I think we'll have to agree to disagree. The only thing is agree with is that last one about covering ground. Personally, I wonder how we'd look like having Herrera next to McTominay.
Fred is good against teams who are better than us and will have us playing on the counter
For matches like yesterday, palace did the right thing by blocking out space for Rashford, Mason and Bruno. And thus leaving it to Fred. Fred trying to create was tragic
For matches like yesterday, palace did the right thing by blocking out space for Rashford, Mason and Bruno. And thus leaving it to Fred. Fred trying to create was tragic
This is very true.
I knew it was going to be an off game at the moment I saw Matic and Fred starting the game.
It was the wrong midfield that was picked due to injury issues. It was a defensive midfield with no creativity when against a team that needed just that.
Thing is I didn't mind the team starting. But it makes no sense why ole waits so long to make the change. It needed a chance at half time and if not, at least ten minutes into the second half. We surrendered the game
It wasn't working for Fred and he needed to come off sooner
I agree that Ole takes too long for subs but all he had was Daniel James, telles and Mctomminay that have proved to be some sort of creative player in the first team.
Literally everyone is injured or coming back from injury that has some creative ability.
No mata, no Pogba, no VDB, no Martial.
I also think Fred is a more creative player than Mctomminay whilst Mctomminay is a better long shot taker (which Matic already is in that starting 11).
Our whole creative ability was out, our striker had just come back from injury.
Maybe a bit harsh cause I need to wake up at 4am to watch this dire display, but I can’t think a midfielder more limited than him. Can’t shoot, can’t dribble, bad first touch, physically weak, the only thing he can do is run like a madman
Especially as our attack is struggling and the team in general, needs more creativity.
We need him to be more in shooting positions.
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