Man Utd centurion outlines plan to ‘make history’; states aim for season

Manchester United midfielder Fred has outlined the “legacy” he wants to leave at the club after passing 100 appearances for them.

Fred joined United in a big-money move from Shakhtar Donetsk in 2018. Despite initially struggling to settle, he has cemented himself as a key player for the club.

This season in particular has seen Fred stamp his authority in the Man Utd midfield. He has made 27 appearances in all competitions so far in 2020-21.

The most recent of those, in the draw with West Brom on Sunday, was his 100th overall for United.

It was a sign of how far he has come since his early days at Old Trafford. Although he could not mark the appearance with a win, he is proud to have reached such a landmark.

“I’m really happy,” he told Inside United.

“It represents a great landmark for me, it’s what everyone aims for.

“Ah man, I wasn’t even expecting this. It took me by surprise when you just told me now. I’m really pleased.

“It’s a great landmark, and as I said I hope I can play many more games for United.

“I’d like to leave a legacy here. It’s somewhere all players want to be, so I look to do my best, play in many more games and make history here.”

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Fred, who won three league titles during his time in Ukraine, is yet to win a trophy with United. Such an achievement would help cement his status further at the club.

The Red Devils are still competing on three fronts this season. Their Premier League title challenge seems to be fading, but they are also still in the FA Cup and Europa League.

Fred was named in the squad of the tournament for the latter competition last season after helping United reach the semi-finals. As a team, they will be hoping to improve on that this season.


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The first obstacle on their potential route to the final is Real Sociedad, whom they will meet on Thursday in the first leg of their Round of 32 clash.

Fred confirmed United are aiming to win the whole competition this season. However, he knows their next opponent will not be easy.

“I think it’s going to be a great game against Real Sociedad, they’ve been having a great season in Spain,” he added. “We know to expect a difficult game, but we’re going for the win.

“We want to win the Europa League, we know how important it is to us. So we’ll do our best in the game and have our best season in the Europa League so we can lift the trophy.”

Solskjaer message for Fred

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Fred, Man Utd TEAMtalk

Speaking just before Fred made his 100th appearance, United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer explained how much credit the midfielder deserves.

“He’s really done well,” Solskjaer said. “I’ve enjoyed working with him these past couple of seasons.

“When I came he was a boy who was struggling a little bit. I got numerous questions about Fred in press conferences early on. As I said then, players coming into a new country, it takes time to settle – and it took some time for Fred to settle.

“When he has now, he’s grown in confidence. There’s less time in the Premier League than what he was used to. He’s quickened up his game, he’s not getting caught on the ball.

“I’m not going to take any credit for that of course. It’s the coaches – I think Michael Carrick and Kieran [McKenna], they’ve been brilliant with him, but it’s Fred himself who has had the hunger and humility to learn and want to improve, stick at it and keep working.

“There are not a lot of people who can say they’ve played 100 games for Manchester United. Hopefully there will be many more to come – and hopefully he will score from outside the box soon but I’m not sure it’s going to be with his right [foot]. I’ve tried to tell him.”

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