Should Fred be offered a new contract?

Once he's gone and replaced people will realise just how little he offered and how we should have done the right thing and moved on from him years ago.
 
Judas said:
Once he's gone and replaced people will realise just how little he offered and how we should have done the right thing and moved on from him years ago.
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Maybe so but the key is to actually replace him with a much better player. Many people have vastly over estimated some youth players like Garner or now Iqbal and gone very hard on Fred. He is not good enough but quality midfielders are not that easy to find for this level.
 
jackal&hyde said:
Maybe so but the key is to actually replace him with a much better player. Many people have vastly over estimated some youth players like Garner or now Iqbal and gone very hard on Fred. He is not good enough but quality midfielders are not that easy to find for this level.
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They're idiots, mostly children who haven't even watched them. The overrating of Garner was honestly cringeworthy. Not that it has much to do with Fred simply not being good enough though.
 
Absolutely not. Save that money and get in a younger and better option in Enzo Fernandez.
 
I'm ambivalent towards Fred signing a new contract.

If the manager believes he can play a role in his squad, albeit probably not a first team quality player - and he's willing to accept reasonable terms, then why not? I'd rather see 2 years with an option for another to protect ourselves, as he relies on his energy.

If the manager wants to clear out the squad more and open up the wage situation while making room for someone else, that's also explainable.
 
AndySmith1990 said:
We have depth, we have a bloated squad. The issue is the lack of quality found in the depth
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The only place the squad is bloated is in defence. We have too many defenders who are injured so we weren't able to move them on in the summer. Everywhere else is not bloated.
 
Judas said:
They're idiots, mostly children who haven't even watched them. The overrating of Garner was honestly cringeworthy. Not that it has much to do with Fred simply not being good enough though.
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Garner would be a better option than Fred. He didnt fit the tempo and style ETH wants the team to play, but at least he can do the basics of passing, defending, and shooting on target.
 
He's really not anywhere close to the required level. If we hand him a new contract then I can only assume that our ambitions are mid-table.
 
Hopefully he's sold after the world cup. Unless he's happy being 4th choice on reduced wages.
 
No way. He has an odd good game and I think ‘is this the turning point?’ But I never learn. So many false dawns. Get rid, take the hit and get someone else in.
 
Obviously not.

Hopefully he has a good WC and someone will go for him in January. If not, we should just let the contract expire.

He won't opt to extend himself, presumably, if it's clear to him that ETH doesn't really fancy him (I think it's pretty obvious that he doesn't).
 
Do we let him go on a free? I know some fans really don't like Fred but we surely can get decent money for him as he's a solid player, perhaps a very good one if he gets to play week in week out at another club.
 
No but we do need a squad, so unless we find a replacement we don’t have much option. Also if we’re getting rid we need to get a fee, enough players have walked for nothing
 
BorisManUtd said:
Do we let him go on a free? I know some fans really don't like Fred but we surely can get decent money for him as he's a solid player, perhaps a very good one if he gets to play week in week out at another club.
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That's the same mentality that made us keep deadwood for years and years hoping we can ship them out for a fee.

ManUtd should be about winning, retaining a player that you don't think it's good enough only because you might sell him for a fee is not something we should be thinking about.

If we can improve the midfield then let him walk, if we can't next window then trigger the one year extension and then let him go on summer 2024.
 
Fred will leave on good terms with the fans; always gave his best and seems like a likeable dude. But if we're aiming for the top, it's sad to say it has to be without Fred.
 
BorisManUtd said:
Do we let him go on a free? I know some fans really don't like Fred but we surely can get decent money for him as he's a solid player, perhaps a very good one if he gets to play week in week out at another club.
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That'a a good point, of course. We should perhaps trigger the one year extension and seek to sell him for 20m next summer. A Brazilian international, he's attitude is great and he's never injured. Surely, there will be some interest for him.
 
Dve said:
That'a a good point, of course. We should perhaps trigger the one year extension and seek to sell him for 20m next summer. A Brazilian international, he's attitude is great and he's never injured. Surely, there will be some interest for him.
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We'd be lucky to get 20m if he had many years on his contract. Did you think the same about extending Bailly, Rojo, Darmian and Jones?
 
Borussia Teeth said:
We'd be lucky to get 20m if he had many years on his contract. Did you think the same about extending Bailly, Rojo, Darmian and Jones?
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Comparing Fred to the most injury prone players ever? Fred can be compared to Lingard.
 
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He'd be fine as a backup midfielder but as is the case with AWB, Maguire, Sancho, DDG, Ronaldo, Martial, VDB etc their salaries aren't even close to being reflective of their ability and role within the squad.

If he wants to stay in the kind of role he'd be workable in he'd need to accept a 35-40% pay cut which just won't happen. If we renew we'll be stuck with a backup on £6-7m a year until his mid 30's.

Ultimately we need to change our methodology other the last decade. Either replace him with someone much better or promote someone who earns much less who has more potential.
 
We have a long and unfortunate habit of being almost too generous and loyal to our players.

Loyalty is no bad thing but it comes to a point where objectively the club has to say "thanks for everything, all the best in your next chapter", and bring in fresh strength.

Sorry Fred.
 
Bye. I will appreciate the 110% effort he gave though, so thank you, but just like Fellaini, not good enough.
 
Might as well take a punt on someone new. He could ride the bench but he’d be an expensive option.
 
Dve said:
Yes, but his value one year earlier was around 20m.
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Yet no one actually ponied up the money. Same as the other players I mentioned. Also it's down to the player. Fred, like Lingard, may rather sit out his final year on the bench and get his choice of clubs when he leaves.
 
AndySmith1990 said:
We have depth, we have a bloated squad. The issue is the lack of quality found in the depth
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We don’t really have a bloated squad….look at our defence currently we have no options . We currently have no options as wingers and we’ve 4 CM’s , Bruno’s cover is Donny and up top we have 1 striker . Far from bloated I’m afraid.
Granted we’ve injuries but no club is going to have 0 injuries at any stage of the season
 
No he should not. He is not good enough for a championship-winning side which is where we should be aiming to be. His value will go nowhere if he is given a new contract and we will again be stuck with him for another 4-5 years. Contract expiries are our only opportunity to truly rebuild this team given that we are unable to sell anybody under contract because of their ridiculous wages.
 
Red00012 said:
We don’t really have a bloated squad….look at our defence currently we have no options . We currently have no options as wingers and we’ve 4 CM’s , Bruno’s cover is Donny and up top we have 1 striker . Far from bloated I’m afraid.
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We have some senior players out on loan too, as well as players who are injured and forgotten about. When looking at the full list of players contracted to United our squad is bloated and chock full of mediocrity.
 
AndySmith1990 said:
We have some senior players out on loan too, as well as players who are injured and forgotten about. When looking at the full list of players contracted to United our squad is bloated and chock full of mediocrity.
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Amad , Laird , Fernandez and Hannibal are not senior players .I’d reckon they’ve less than 5 starts between the 4 of them Henderson has talked himself into been the 1st player out the door when he comes back. . I don’t disagree about the mediocrity part but it’s not bloated . It was bloated last season I’d agree
 
We should move on from him. His passing, composure and defensive awareness is too erratic at this level.
 
Red00012 said:
We don’t really have a bloated squad….look at our defence currently we have no options . We currently have no options as wingers and we’ve 4 CM’s , Bruno’s cover is Donny and up top we have 1 striker . Far from bloated I’m afraid.
Granted we’ve injuries but no club is going to have 0 injuries at any stage of the season
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We have options. Varane, Martinez, Lindelof and Maguire are options. Casemiero, Eriksen, Fred and Mctomonay in midfield. Problem is the latter two in both those areas are poor and a liability to the teams chances. On the wings we have Sancho, Antony, Garnacho, Rashford and Elanga. Upfront Ronaldo and Martial. At 10 Bruno and DVB. Again the issue is quality not quantity. Sanchos form. Ronaldo being immobile. VDB being.. well, crap.

So replacing the worse players like Fred with.. Fred won't help.
 
New contract? He should be given the key to the City of Manchester
 
I like Fred and think in his correct position he is a very good player, however like a lot of players he does need a run of games to get going so bringing him in and out doesn't allow for any consistency with him.

Whilst I'm a Fred fan, if ETH thinks it better not to keep him then that's fine with me. In ETH I trust.
 
Borussia Teeth said:
Yet no one actually ponied up the money. Same as the other players I mentioned. Also it's down to the player. Fred, like Lingard, may rather sit out his final year on the bench and get his choice of clubs when he leaves.
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Well, who knows, but when we sign another midfielder, I doubt that Fred at his age would prefer to spend another year on the bench instead of playing week and week out for a decent side. It's a well known exercise to undervalue our own players (cause they are all so shite..), but I am pretty sure there will be plenty of teams interested in signing him next summer, and also pay a bit of money for him.

When it comes to Lingard, The Times reported United (and/or) Lingard turned down 6 offers the summer 2021, unknown whether it was because he was overpriced by united (some reports suggest we demanded 30m), or because Lingard preferred to sit out his contract to chase bigger money.

Anyhow, if Fred is offered a one year extension, and then refuse to be sold, the worst that can happen is that we lose him for free in 2024 instead of 2023, which really doesn't matter much. As a utility player, he still has a role in the squad.
 
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