‘Fred will take Paul’s position for a while and he’s been brilliant for us’: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer backs £ 52 m star to fill void left by injured Pogba after Roy Keane criticized Brazil midfielder
- Paul Pogba is expected to be out of action until the beginning of December
- Ole Gunnar Solskjaer believes Fred will step up to the plate in his absence
- The Manchester United manager has also been impressed with Andreas Pereira
ByChris Wheeler for MailOnline
Published:|Updated:
Ole Gunnar Solskajaer has challenged Fred to step up and fill the gap left byPaul Pogba (at) Manchester Unitedwhile the Frenchman recovers from injury.
The United boss confirmed after Sunday’s win at Norwich that Pogba is set to be out until December after missing eight of the last 10 games with an ankle problem.
Fred has started four of the five matches since Pogba last played againstArsenala month ago , and has at last shown signs of improvement after a difficult start at United.
Manchester United midfielder Fred will start in the absence of the injured Paul Pogba
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been impressed with the performances of Fred and Andreas Pereira
Solskjaer shakes hands with Fred following Manchester United’s 3-1 win at Norwich on Sunday
FRED’S LEAGUE STATS THIS SEASON
Appearances:6
Goals: (0)
Assists:0
Shots:7
Shooting accuracy:14%
Passes per match:34. 67
Tackle success:(%)
Yellow cards :1
But the Brazilian still has a long way to go to justify the £ 52 million transfer fee United paid Shakhtar Donetsk for him 17 months ago, and was the subject of a brutal putdown by former Old Trafford skipper Roy Keane at the weekend.
Asked on Sky Sports if his old club should sign Christian Eriksen from Tottenham, Keane said: ‘Not if I was the manager of Manchester United. He won’t make Manchester United better, but having said that Man United bought Fred! ‘
Solskjaer remains positive, however, and hopes Fred will continue to improve as United wait for Pogba’s return, and also praised the club’s other Brazil international Andreas Pereira for his performances in recent games.
Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane criticized Fred on Sky Sports at the weekend
Star midfielder Pogba is expected to miss the whole of December due to an ankle injury
‘There is no use talking about who is not going to be here for a long, long time, because he is not going to come on the pitch and help us until he is fit, ‘said the United manager.
‘ Paul’s been brilliant and he is a creative midfielder that we need, but then it is up to the others to step up. Fred will probably take Paul’s position for a while now and that’s been brilliant for us.
‘The two Brazilians, Fred and Andreas, are going to be important for us. Scotty (McTominay) was excellent against Norwich, but Scotty is a different player.
‘Andreas has grown in the last few games. His energy, running and chasing, he is a different sort of No. 10. He can play also in the central positions, so I am delighted with him. Great professional, great attitude. He does his job to the best of his abilities. ‘
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