Ole Gunnar Solskjaer insists out-of-favour Fred will get his chance at Manchester United, believing he has needed time to settle in England.
Fred became United’s fifth-most expensive signing ever when he joined the club in the summer, but he has seen his game-time limited at Old Trafford, having started just seven Premier League games all season.
Only one of those starts has come under Solskjaer – back in the Boxing Day win over Huddersfield – and the Brazil international has not played a single minute since United’s FA Cup win over Reading on January 5.
Solskjaer, however, called for patience with Fred, and is adamant his opportunities will come. Fred is even in contention to start against Crystal Palace on Wednesday, with Solskjaer without 10 players for the trip to the capital.
“[Fred needs to] play well when he gets the chance, keeping training, keep working as he does,” Solskjaer said. “We have had a midfield three of [Ander] Herrera, [Paul] Pogba and [Nemanja] Matic and they have played really well together.
“It is not like we have been bogged down with too many games. Scott McTominay was the obvious choice against Liverpool because he was an academy kid – we had five academy kids at one point on the pitch. He knows what it means.
“You have to look at the time it needs to settle. You look at Juan [Sebastian Veron] – he is one of the best players that I played with – and it took him time to settle. And I am sure that when given the chance and a run in the team Fred will grab the opportunity.
“Fred will get his chances, maybe tomorrow.”