I want to talk about Fred...

...because maybe it will give me some closure

This is an extra free instalment of Played on Paper because I thought it was appropriate, another newsletter will be coming for paid subscribers at the end of the week.

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My Uncle Colin died unexpectedly last week.

I still haven’t fully processed how I feel about it, but I just know that if he was still around he would probably shout at me for feeling sad for him.

He was like that, he always complained when people made a fuss or worried about him but he was also grateful that they did. He would often respond with a sarcastic comment or a dry remark though, just to keep up his bulletproof persona.

His opinionated nature could occasionally rub people up the wrong way (my Mum often recounted how they would often bicker when they were younger), but the people that knew him thought the world of him.

He was also a big supporter of this newsletter. He would often ring my mum and talk about how their dad (my grandad) would be so proud that I became a writer and he wished that he could have read it too.

My uncle would often message me on WhatsApp to give his opinion on what I’d written. Even if he only really cared about the stuff focusing on the Premier League and Manchester United, he’d read it all regardless.

We did have one point of regular contention, however. He could never understand why Fred played for Manchester United.

He really disliked Fred and it was almost admirable how committed he was to never giving him any credit even after a good performance. I think he would have laughed at the irony that in the last United game that he saw, the Brazilian was the man of the match.

I spent many hours trying to explain to him the Brazilian’s merits, but to no avail. I could never find the right words to make him understand why the midfielder was an exceptional asset to have in the United squad.

And if we’re being honest, at times Fred didn’t make my job easy for me, putting in some of the most hit-or-miss performances possible in a United shirt (sometimes within the same 90 minutes).

But defend him I did.

So in memory of my uncle, I’m going to do what I couldn’t do in those long conversations that we had. I’m going to explain Fred’s role at United and why he is such a great (if chaotic) player.

And so I can feel like my uncle is still here chatting with me, I’ll delve into my WhatsApp chat with him and put some of the things he’d likely say in response.

‘You’ll still never change my mind on Fred he is not good enough’ - My uncle after I tried to talk to him about Fred’s qualities for the 50th time

Do you ever wonder why Fred warms up wearing an undershirt but takes it off before the match starts? That’s because war doesn’t allow for comfort.

If you ever see a scrap break out on the pitch, Fred is always the first one there backing his teammate up. That was always something that endeared me to him.

This continues when the ball is in play as well. Fred approaches every match like a battle, he launches himself head-first into the fray without any fear.

My uncle would have probably said it’s because he’s stupid, but really it’s because Fred is a disruptor. His game is designed around not allowing the opponent to play theirs.

This can sometimes have its problems.

Of course, Manchester United fans will remember the McFred partnership, a time when the concept of a consistent midfield was but a whisper in the wind, a time we now dub ‘BC’ (Before Casemiro).

When United had minimal possession the combination worked reasonably well, as multiple wins against Manchester City under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will attest to, but if United needed to dominate games however the duo struggled, especially Fred.

Fred is not a deep-lying playmaker nor is he a midfielder who can receive the ball with his back to the opposition consistently and progress it up the pitch. These were the things being asked of him under Solskjaer and it caused numerous problems.

One of the major ones was how high both Fred and McTominay pushed up the field to engage the opponent, leaving massive spaces in behind (but more on that later).

However, his best performances showed his qualities and that he could still be an important player for United.

United needed (and still needs) a disciplined marshall who can sit in front of the defence, dictating the play and the tempo of the game, but in certain game states, they also need an agent of chaos as well.

‘Fred can be the disciplined guy, sitting in the dressing room’ - His response to an article I wrote about Fred in the MEN.

Ralf Rangnick was the first to truly realise Fred’s potential at United. He didn’t do much right during his time at Old Trafford, but showing the fanbase what the Brazillian could do was one of his few triumphs.

I mean looking back it seems obvious now. Of course, the ‘Godfather of Gegenpressing’ was going to find out that Fred was a disruptor and a pressing machine.

He played Fred further forward with McTominay as a lone number six, and the Brazillian thrived, let off his leash to embody the role of an attack dog in the opponent’s half.

While showing the sort of games United needed Fred in this role for, it also showed the type of games where his impact would be limited or his presence could even be detrimental to the side.

I think Carl Anka put it best when he said that Fred struggles when the opposition’s game plan is to give United the majority of possession and then force them into making mistakes; it plays against Fred’s strengths.

Fred prefers matches where the opponent is the one trying to do things with the ball and wants to have more possession, then he can step into their best-laid plans and cause them to go awry (one for all the fans of Of Mice and Men there, or the ones forced to do it at school).

Of course, he’ll still attempt the most ridiculous shots and try passes he doesn’t have the facilities to pull off, but his game in general will be solid.

That’s why he has still been a regular fixture under Erik ten Hag.

‘Any manager who puts Fred on the team sheet ahead of others doesn't deserve a job at Tesco let alone United.’ - My uncle reacting to Fred’s performance against Young Boys in 2021.

Fred has four goals and four assists so far under Ten Hag this season, he has also been a regular fixture in his squads. The Dutch manager sees that the Brazilian midfielder has something to offer United in the centre of the park.

Although, in recent weeks his inclusion hasn’t been by choice. A long-term injury to Christian Eriksen, a knock to McTominay and the suspension of Casemiro and Marcel Sabitzer has meant Fred has needed to be ever-present.

And this means that Fred has had to play in game states he suits and game states he obviously doesn’t (A Tale of Two Leeds games comes to mind).

For example, the first half of the game against Barcelona was not the time for Fred to be on the field. The Catalan side were pressing intensely and Fred consistently lost the ball…

… but in the second half when Barcelona tried to build up from the back and create more chances, Fred was imperious, causing Xavi's team constant problems and forcing them into mistakes.

As of the second leg against Barcelona, Ten Hag has several options back in midfield, including Casemiro who has been sorely missed. This means that Fred will move back from being a ‘regular starter’ to a ‘different option off the bench’, which is his ideal role in this United side.

‘Do you think Fred will be dropped in my lifetime’ - I honestly wish you were around to see when he was

This is an article about Fred, a Brazilian midfielder that has split opinions within the United fanbase since the day he walked through the doors of Old Trafford.

With a big price tag hanging over his head, he was always going to be scrutinised, but I think that all things considered he has done pretty well.

He’s inconsistent and disorderly, but he also fights for the badge every time he steps on the pitch. A fighter wearing football boots.

I hope that I have in some way informed your opinion on the player, maybe even changed your mind, but if not, then it doesn’t matter. I just hoped you enjoyed reading it.

As much as I write out my thoughts and put in some quotes from WhatsApp, the truth is I’ll never be able to have this conversation with him again. No amount of closure will change that.

We never agreed on the topic and I doubt we ever would, but even when we were arguing, football brought us closer together. In a digital age, where insult-fueled debates rage on the daily, that seems strange to say.

So if I can leave you with anything at the end of this article, it’s not that Fred is a disruptive midfielder or that United can still use him in the centre of midfield, it’s to treasure the ones close to you.

The ones that support you and build you up, the people who you share those small moments with that in the future you will remember and smile about, because you never know when your time with them will be up.

Here’s to you Uncle Colin, I’ll miss you.

‘No worries I wish you every success’ - The end of our last conversation.

Authors Note 13/2/2025

It’s now two years later and Fred has left. The object of his frustrations currently plies his trade at Fenerbache.

I’ve not watched too much of him, but I’ve heard he’s doing well.

Given how United are performing right now, I’d expect we’d be having a similar conversation about Manuel Ugarte.

It still hurts, the absence of him in my life. The expectation of looking down at my phone during or after a match and expecting a message, even if at the time I greeted it with a small bit of disdain.

"‘Oh Uncle Colin is going off on one again about Fred. Guess I’ll have to respond.”

The chat would always end amicably with well wishes either way, but I can’t help but feel a little guilty that I didn’t treasure the time. He obviously cared about my opinion even if he didn’t agree with it.

I don’t think that feeling ever goes away; a hole that can’t really be filled.

Two years on. It feels wild to say. To me its only yesterday I answered the phone from my Mum expecting for her to regale me with a wild story of her trip down to a countryside hotel, bemoaning my dad’s driving down winding roads.

Instead she was in tears, and though they’ve gone away the sadness still is there in her dry eyes to this day.

So I repeat the sentiment I ended this article with two years ago, now with the authority that I understand the weight of my own words.

Treasure these people in your lives. The one who are there to support you and the ones who value you enough to spend their precious moments of time with.

You never know when you’ll left at a computer screen with tears in your eyes, wishing that you could be arguing over something petty on WhatsApp instead.