Jose Mourinho says Fred is not a direct replacement for Michael Carrick, but adds the Brazilian could be a key player in Manchester United’s midfield this season.
The Brazilian playmaker joined the Red Devils from Shakhtar Donetsk last month for a fee reported to be in excess of £50million, but is yet to feature for United in pre-season after World Cup duty with the Selecao.
The 25-year-old will be a welcome addition to United’s midfield this season following the departure of Michael Carrick, but Mourinho believes he will bring some creativity and flair to the centre of the park – and something different to the long-serving midfielder.
“Nemanja Matic, Marouane Fellaini, Paul Pogba and even Ander Herrera are physical and strong players, he told reporters.
“He could be an important player for us, but let’s wait. Michael Carrick is Michael Carrick and there is no successor.”
Manchester United continues their pre-season on Wednesday when they host AC Milan in Pasadena, following draws with Club America and San Jose Earthquakes so far.
Born in Belo Horizonte, Fred moved to Europe in 2013 from Brazilian club Internacional and enjoyed success during five years in Ukraine.
He helped Shakhtar to win three league titles, three Ukrainian Cups and four Ukrainian Super Cups.
Fred also helped Shakhtar reach the Champions League knockout stages in 2017-18. He played in wins over Manchester City and Napoli, scoring in a 2-1 win over Roma in the last 16.
Chelsea winger Willian, who played for Shakhtar between 2007 and 2013, believes Fred will he a success in England.
“He has a lot of quality, he can improve a lot,” he said. “He goes to one of the best teams in the world and I’m happy for him. I hope he does well at Manchester United.
“He is very happy to come to the Premier League to play, we talked a little bit about that.
“He is excited to start but now it is time to think about the World Cup and think about the national team.”
However, Fred’s career has not been without controversy.
In December 2015, he was given a one-year ban after testing positive for a banned diuretic, which was backdated to June that year when the test was carried out.
The suspension only applied to games sanctioned by South American football federation Conmebol.
BBC South American football expert Tim Vickery described Fred as a mini Fernandinho at the time of his signing.
”Manchester United are getting a fine player for their money. Pep Guardiola was very impressed when Fred played against Manchester City for Shakhtar in the Champions League in 2017-18. You can see something of a mini version of [Manchester City midfielder] Fernandinho. United are getting a little, stocky, left-footed midfielder who will bring real dynamism. Fred can work box to box, he has a lovely left foot, he’s improving very nicely and has picked up valuable European experience,” Vickery told the BBC.