Substitute Marcus Rashford earned Manchester United a 1-0 win at Wolves but Erik ten Hag paid tribute to another replacement post-match – Fred.
Rashford was left on the bench because he overslept and was late for a team meeting between this game and the win over Nottingham Forest.
He came on at half-time while Fred was brought on for Christian Eriksen just before the hour mark and speaking to BT Sport after the game, Ten Hag was keen to praise the contribution of the Brazilian midfielder.
Ten Hag praises Fred after Wolves win
Ten Hag said: “It was also a good come in from Fred.
“He made a good come in, brought energy into the game and he was holding onto the ball, linking up and winning second balls.”
There was also praise for Rashford but Ten Hag was clearly keen to point out that it was not just the Englishman who changed the course of the game.
Christian Eriksen was not able to get into a midfield battle which was frantic at times and saw Wolves try and congest the centre of the pitch.
They also tried to do a lot of dribbling through the middle of the pitch and that saw Casemiro and Fred both booked in the second half.
Fred also came off the bench to score against Nottingham Forest in midweek, and there is competition for places across the midfield ranks.
Next up for United is a game against Bournemouth to kickstart the new year, where they will be looking to extend their run of five wins in a row.
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