Manchester United won't just be trying to sign a host of players during the current transfer window, but also trying to move on some deadwood in order to free up the wage budget.
David de Gea and Phil Jones have already departed Old Trafford, leaving on the expiration of their contracts following 12 years in Manchester and Erik ten Hag will be keen on moving a few more players out the door.
Does Fred have a future at Manchester United?
The Brazilian has just one year left on his current deal at United and this summer could represent the final opportunity for Ten Hag to secure a decent fee for the midfielder.
Fellow Premier League side Fulham are interested in Fred and with the Dutchman looking at signing younger players, it could be the perfect time to offload the 30-year-old, who started just 23 games across all competitions last term.
With the Red Devils eyeing a move for Bayern Munich midfielder Leon Goretzka during the transfer window, it could Ten Hag the licence to move Fred on and get some sort of transfer fee for him before potentially losing him for free next year.
Could Manchester United sign Leon Goretzka?
According to Sky Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg, United are still “monitoring” the Bayern star ahead of a potential move, despite him making it clear that he doesn’t want to leave the Bundesliga side this summer.
This could perhaps make any future swoop tricky to pull off and with the German giants valuing Goretzka at just €40m (£35m), it may be an opportunity missed.
Nevertheless, Ten Hag could still look to persuade him to make the move to England, and he’d be an instant upgrade on Fred.
Not only did the 28-year-old create more big chances (seven to four) in the league last season than Fred, but he also took more shots per game (1.5 to 0.7), demonstrating his attacking attributes from the centre of midfield.
It isn’t only his attacking qualities which allowed him to shine for Bayern. The midfielder also offers an aerial presence, ranking in the top 9% across Europe’s big five leagues for aerials won per 90 (2.04), while also making 2.04 blocks per 90, good enough to rank him in the top 3% as he demonstrated his defensive abilities.
Fred did make more blocks per 90 (2.53), yet he clearly doesn’t have as much of a presence in air compared to Goretzka, winning just 0.76 aerials per 90 and this ability to generate more chances for his teammates, alongside a strong physical presence suggests the 28-year-old would be a much better option for Ten Hag next season.
His fellow compatriot, Manuel Neuer, hailed the former Schalke gem “cold as ice” and given the fact he has scored 65 goals throughout his whole career for club and country, it indicates that the midfielder fails to buckle under pressure.
Signing Goretzka would be a shrewd move for Ten Hag, especially given his performances over the previous 12 months and in order to seriously challenge Manchester City for the Premier League title, continuing to play the likes of Fred simply won’t work.