Jose Mourinho has explained why Manchester United fans haven't seen much of Fred in action recently.
Since his summer arrival from Ukrainian champions Shakhtar Donetsk, our no.17 has made 10 appearances in all competitions and he scored his first United goal in September's 1-1 draw with Wolves.
However, the Brazilian midfielder, who went to the World Cup in Russia over the summer, hasn’t featured in any of the last four Premier League matches.
During his press conference to preview Saturday’s match against Fulham at the Aon Training Complex, the boss was asked how he felt Fred has adapted to life at the club.
“Step by step,”
Jose told reporters. “You also have other players at other clubs that needed their time and you have some of them that play even less than what Fred is playing.
“I think Fred [will play more], when the team is defensively stronger and doesn't need in midfield people that are more worried about giving some balance to the team than being involved in creation and attacking dynamics. The day we are stronger defensively, I think the horizons for Fred change completely.”
Fred, who played in our last home victory against Young Boys in the Champions League, will wait to see if he's required when we welcome Claudio Ranieri’s struggling Fulham side to the Theatre of Dreams on Saturday afternoon.
The match kicks off at 15:00 GMT and MUTV subscribers will be able to enjoy 90 minutes of live build-up from 13:30 GMT.
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