Should Fred be offered a new contract?

He is so inconsistent. May be useful though to keep him for the bench.
 
the gafferjs said:
Here to see the comments of those wanting rid when last week, week before he was brilliant! That is Football I guess! The same people who want rid of McT.

Personally I would give him another year, there is no huge sell on value given his age, have him as an impact sub or squad player. He will never be my fave but like McT gives his all. You cannot have 9/10 players playing 9/10 performances every week, it does not work like that.

Be back here in a week when Fred is being loved again.
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Problem is when he's bad, he's abysmal.

I agree, one more year, by which time hopefully Mainoo etc. will be ready to step up to being a squad player.
 
I'd see how Sabitzer does between now and the end of the season. If we're targeting another starting CM to slot in beside Casemiro, and potentially be an adequate cover in his absence, then we can let Fred and McTominay both go if Sabitzer performs and the deal is made permanent.

Hypothetically we'd have Casemiro, Eriksen, Sabitzer and whoever we buy as genuine first 11 options. Then maybe you'd have Hannibal coming back from loan, Mainoo getting an opportunity in the early stages of the cups to fill some gaps.

I don't think ETH wants a bloated squad, he'd prefer 16/17 proper reliable players that can slot in and out of the first team seamlessly. So for me, if towards the end of the season, Sabitzer proves to be a good fit and we can get a permanent deal done (I think he was decent last night considering he was often in there on his own), then I'd happily see Fred and McTominay go, along with the likes of Maguire and Martial.

If those help to fund a top CM and get Sabitzer on a permanent deal, then we can throw the kitchen sink at Napoli for Osimhen.

For the record, I think Fred is decent, but not good enough to even be a squad player at United. He's fine to help rest players in the last 20 mins against tiring opposition if you have a lead, but he's unreliable and against a pressing team like Leeds he's a genuine liability. Against someone like Forest or Bournemouth, he'll do fine. But you can't be a genuine squad player at United if that's the limits to your usefulness.
 
Andy_Cole said:
He’s a squad player. Should keep of course.
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A squad player is someone who can come on and do a job when players are injured.

Fred cannot do that. He only works in games where we ask him to man mark someone or games where we run alot chasing the ball.

He isn't someone we cannot replace, we need to get rid of him asap. We can surely find a player who can pass a football and not treat it like a hot potato.
 
I would keep him. He is a very useful player to have.

He was great against City and Crystal Palace. He has had a lot of good games this season.

He was poor against Leeds, but a lot of our players struggled with their aggression. It was a panicky performance throughout the team, to be honest.
 
Even if you defend him , and I think other than last night when he was rotten he's been good post World Cup, you can't claim he's been a success here or value for money.

How much was he? £50m? You'd expect better than Fred for that amount of money.
 
Squad player at United should be able to challenge first teamers when out of form and not performing, never mind offer a small certain usefulness, and that usefulness does not involve much of play on the ball.
 
romufc said:
A squad player is someone who can come on and do a job when players are injured.

Fred cannot do that. He only works in games where we ask him to man mark someone or games where we run alot chasing the ball.

He isn't someone we cannot replace, we need to get rid of him asap. We can surely find a player who can pass a football and not treat it like a hot potato.
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Yeah a squad player is a steady eddie you can rely on to give you a 7/10 performance whenever required. This guy ain't it.
 
I said it at the start of the season and I say it again, I would not renew, I would give his minutes to Hannibal or Iqbal whoever is better suited to be a back up number 6/8. If we go into next season with Casemiro/Hannibal, Erikson/Sabitzer, Bruno/Sancho and possibly with McTom as a homegrown back up then fair enough. If someone wants to spend £30m on McT then use Iqbal/Mainoo for the seventh midfielder or sign Teilemans on a free.
Too much mediocrity is accepted here, if Fred, McT and DVB are off the books next season will anyone miss them?
 
croadyman said:
Only IF we don't get taken over by Qatari's,if we do then would move him on and spend on someone capable of backing up Casa when required
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Don’t agree. You keep him as a number 8 squad player. Hugely valuable in that role. Maybe the best reserve 8 in the league. What you do is buy a 6 who is a viable understudy to Casemiro.

I think you honestly need 6 midfielders to compete across the season in all comps when you play a 3 in the middle. One of those should be a young player who is developing.

In my mind McTominay is the odd man out. You sell him, and are left with Casemiro, Eriksen, Bruno, and Fred. You sign a player of Bellingham’s ilk, and then a young 6. And I think you have the perfect balance.

Fred is a player that is happy to be a squad player and also plays to a pretty high level most of the time. Those are hard to replicate because most players need more match rhythm.
 
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