Fred seeing red after nightmare start with United
STRUGGLING Man United star Fred has revealed he is angry that Jose Mourinho is SABOTAGING his Brazilian dream.
The South American star has been branded a flop after failing to live up to the reputation as a ball-playing midfielder he earned while at Shakhtar Donetsk.
United splashed out £52million for the Brazil international, 25, in the summer but so far he has failed to make an impact in the Premier League.
Fred was axed by Brazil boss Tite for the recent double-header against Uruguay and Cameroon and admits life at Old Trafford has been “difficult” after featuring in only half of United’s games this season.
The international snub has angered him but he has vowed to be patient and prove to Mourinho he is the right man for United.
“I’ve played very little at United so it’s normal for Professor Tite not to be able to evaluate me, even though I’ve worked hard with him before,” said Fred, who has 11 caps for his country.
“Of course I was annoyed but I have to know how to deal with the sadness to be able to help me take a step forward.
“The coach at United has chosen not to put me in the team very often. That’s his choice.
“I still do my job and I can’t let it affect my mindset, I can not let that shake me. I have to be patient.
“It’s been a bit of a difficult start for me at United because I have not been playing so much.
“I had a lot of games in Shakhtar, but it’s a little bit different here. It’s normal, of course, a process of adaptation to a different league. “Although I’ve been to Europe before, now I am in a different country and I have to go through a new process of settling in. “But today I see myself much better and I hope that my football will be 100 per cent soon.
“I think I had a great performance against Young Boys in the Champions League. “We had the opportunity to score a few times before we scored the goal at the end but I was very happy to have returned to the field and I hope to continue playing more.” Fred was part of Tite’s World Cup squad last summer but did not play in the tournament because of injury.
The midfielder then took part in three of Brazil’s first four games after Russia against USA, El Salvador and Saudi Arabia.
But he was not included for the last two friendlies – both played in England – against Uruguay and Cameroon.
That’s left Fred the Red feeling blue but he is aiming to be back in the manager’s thoughts before the 2019 Copa America, being hosted across five cities in Brazil next summer. “I remain focused on my work at Manchester United and I hope to be back in the squad soon for my country to be able to be in the Copa America for Brazil next summer,” he added. Fred was an unused sub once again last night as United were held 2-2 by the Saints at St Mary’s. STEVE BATES