Jose: How Fred fits in

During a press conference to preview Wednesday's match against AC Milan at the StubHub Center in Carson, California, the boss was asked which qualities the Brazilian will bring with him when he joins the squad for Tour 2018, presented by Aon.

"People like Nemanja Matic, Marouane Fellaini, Paul Pogba, even Ander Herrera, are physical and strong midfielders," said Mourinho.

"We think that players like Fred, and Andreas Pereira, are more technical, passing and playing in short spaces and maybe connecting with the attacking players."

Michael Carrick's retirement in May means the United midfield has to recover from the loss of a long-serving stalwart - even if that has resulted in a gain for the manager's staff - but Mourinho does not feel that Fred is a natural replacement.

"There is no successor for Michael Carrick," declared Jose, in admiration for his new coach.

The rebuttal brought to mind the situation in 2006, when Carrick followed former captain Roy Keane into the Reds' engine room and was also encouraged to plough his own furrow.

"We thought Fred could be an important player for us but let's wait," concluded Jose.

Fred’s transfer from Shakhtar Donetsk was finalised and announced by the club on 21 June, but he is still waiting to play his first football of the summer, having been an unused member of Brazil’s World Cup squad in Russia.