What's key to Fred and Scott's partnership?

Sunday 14 March 2021 10:00

Fred has spoken of the importance of communication and work on the training pitch regarding his burgeoning midfield partnership with Scott McTominay.

The Brazilian believes the pair complement each other well and during an exclusive interview for the West Ham edition of United Review, he discussed the key traits behind their link-up.

Fred explained how the duo spent time, on and off the pitch, going through their game-plan, and he also praised the wealth of midfield options Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has at his disposal.
Fred in form Video

Fred in form

The Brazilian discusses his recent performances and budding partnership with McTominay...

"It’s really cool, we’ve got a lot of players in midfield and the two of us have played together in a lot of games. We’ve been working together since my first season and he’s great to work with, McTominay’s a fantastic player," explained our no.17.

"I’m really pleased that it’s working out on the pitch, I think we complement each other well. We both have the quality on the ball and are strong in defence so we play well together. We’ve got a very strong midfield and we’re rooting for Paul [Pogba] and Donny [van de Beek] to come back from injury soon as they’re very important to the team, as is Nemanja [Matic]. Whoever’s playing there can really contribute to the team."

Speaking further on the roles he and Scott play in each game, he added: "Before games this is all made very clear. We do a lot of work on our opponents so we pretty much know what to expect from the other team, what movements we’ll make on the pitch.

"Of course, sometimes you have to make changes on the pitch to adapt to something that wasn’t on the video, so communication is good during matches. We’ve got this great synchrony on the pitch of talking to each other, helping one another and demanding a lot of each other - that’s what’s good about our partnership."
One man the Reds won't be facing on Sunday when United take on West Ham at Old Trafford is Jesse Lingard. Loan rules prevent the in-form attacker from playing against his parent club and Fred has been pleased to see him doing well.

"I’m really happy for him, getting his confidence back up there playing for West Ham. He’s a great player and great person," he declared.

"I’ve worked with him for the three years I’ve been here, he’s always smiling and now he’s got his confidence back and he’s on a really good run of form, but thankfully he can’t play against us, can he?! [Smiles] So he can’t score against us but I hope he continues doing well for his team as he’s a great guy that deserves all his success."

United v West Ham: Ole's press conference in full

 Article

In this full transcript, you can read the manager's thoughts on Jesse Lingard, David Moyes and our new signing Amad.

Sunday's match will be our last league game before the international break with an important week of cup matches ahead - the second leg of our Europa League last 16 tie against AC Milan on Thursday and next Sunday's FA Cup quarter-final tie against Leicester City.

"We’ll look to win all these games. Some really important games for us - to get through to the next round in the Europa League, to keep fighting for the Premier League title, in the cup as well to keep our dream of winning the FA Cup alive. It’s a very important period for us.

"We have to focus on these games before the international break and most importantly look to win them and continue chasing these titles, as I really feel that we can win some silverware this year."

Read the full interview with Fred in Sunday's United Review - order your copy online now.

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