Fred's desire should be applauded

The all-action midfielder appeared to badly twist his ankle during the 2-0 win in Spain that proved enough to seal top spot in Group F, with a game against Young Boys still to come.

He showed his determination and willingness to play through the pain barrier by not only completing the full 90 minutes at the Estadio de la Ceramica by being involved in the build-up to both goals, scored by Cristiano Ronaldo and Jadon Sancho.

The 28-year-old pressed the hosts to good effect to turn over possession and his efforts were not overlooked by Carrick, who also sung the former Shakhtar Donetsk man's praises after the game.

"It doesn’t go unnoticed to us," Carrick stressed to MUTV's Stewart Gardner, when asked about the midfielder's input. "I think he brings such an energy and such a drive and such a desire when he plays and when he trains.

"Even the other night there, he took a bad twist of the ankle in the first half and stayed on through half-time. Normally, after half-time, those type of things, when you start running again, they stiffen up a little bit but he gets through the game and actually has a major part in both our goals.

"It’s more his mentality and his attitude," continued Carrick. "And how he is as a person, as much as the footballer, which I greatly admire. He’s always there, he always puts himself up there ready for the challenge and he loves the big games and there’s a lot to admire about that.”

The South American is a doubt for the game at Chelsea due to the ankle issue but will hope to feature as the Reds look to gain a positive result on the Premier League leaders' home patch.