Fred checks in with the Reds in Istanbul

The Brazilian joined the Turkish champions’ fierce city rivals Fenerbahce over the summer, after a five-year stint at Old Trafford.

Fred made 213 appearances for United in total, scoring 14 goals and winning the Carabao Cup with Erik ten Hag’s squad at Wembley back in February.

After enjoying a bright start to life in the Turkish Super Lig with the division’s current table toppers, the 30-year-old has been sidelined since October with a groin injury.

That issue looks set to keep him out of Fenerbahce’s Europa Conference League meeting with Nordsjaelland this week, so Fred took the opportunity to rekindle relationships at our team hotel in the capital, where we landed late on Tuesday evening.

All-smiles as ever, the former Shakhtar Donetsk man posed for photographs with Bruno Fernandes and Victor Lindelof, both of whom he was close friends with during his time with the club.

He was also pictured speaking to Ten Hag and his assistant coaches, Mitchell van der Gaag and Steve McClaren, plus football director John Murtough and various members of the backroom team.

View all the images in our gallery above.

We’re sure Fred was wishing everyone the best of luck ahead of Wednesday’s game, which is a virtual must-win for United if we are to retain our hopes of progressing from Group A of this season’s competition.

Of course, beyond his United loyalties there will be other reasons for Fred to be cheering on the visitors when the game at RAMS Park kicks off.

Fenerbahce and Galatasaray are Turkey’s two biggest and most successful clubs and compete in what is known as the Intercontinental Derby, as the former are located over the River Bosporus on the Asian side of Istanbul.

The clubs go head-to-head twice in the space of a week at the end of December – once in a league fixture, once in the Turkish Super Cup final – and Fred will be keen to be back in action for those contests.