Fred is usually very quiet off the pitch, so it was a surprise to see the Brazilian speaking out controversially this weekend.
He spoke to YouTube channel De Sola and was critical of the team’s shortcomings, and blamed self-centred individuals.
Fred’s comments do not appear inaccurate, the controversy boils down to whether he should be airing them publicly in the first place.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and the coaching staff may not be too pleased.
What did Fred say?
The United midfielder said: “We are lacking a lot right now. First of all we need to figure out things on the pitch, we are lacking creativity, especially in midfield.
“There are a lot of discussions, every group has this sort of problem, but ours has this. Vanity is also an issue and we need to stop this and just run on the pitch.
“We need to stick a goal inside our minds, focus on it and go forward.
“We need to be on the same page and today some players have different objectives, there are players that just want to solve problems alone and this is wrong.”
What now?
It’s unlikely there will be any repercussions other than perhaps a private ticking off from manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Fred is crucial to United’s midfield and as the January player of the month, has earned the seniority which should allow him to speak authoritatively on this team’s issues.
Where you stand on what they mean for Solskjaer probably depends on your stance beforehand.
Either Solskjaer is trying to fix the problems Fred speaks of and inherited them, or they are getting worse and the manager is keeping secret big problems behind the scenes.
Either way it’s probably not a great look for the team, and piles the pressure on for the upcoming matches.
United face Chelsea away next week before kicking off the Europa League knockout stages against Club Brugge.
How fans reacted to Fred’s comments
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- Dan Gore will force Michael Carrick to make a decision that previously cost Man Utd a £50m-rated star
- Andrey Santos snubs Paul Scholes from top five midfielders of all time as one ex-Man Utd star makes his rankings
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