OLE GUNNAR SOLSKJAER reckons fired-up Fred is Old Trafford’s unsung hero — especially now he has rediscovered the route to goal.
On Thursday Fred broke his duck for the season with a double in Manchester United’s Europa League 5-0 drubbing of Club Brugge.
His only other goal for the club came 18 months earlier, in a torrid opening year in England following his £52million move from Shakhtar Donetsk.
And they were further proof of the giant strides he has made in transforming himself from midfield misfit to born-again Brazilian.
Solskjaer stood by the 26-year-old through his struggles and is delighted to see his confidence being repaid.
The United chief insisted: “Fred has taken on the challenge this season. He had a tough first one but since we came in we’ve shown him we believe in him and he’s known that.
“He’s got used to English football, realised you don’t have three or four touches, you have to play more one and two touch.
“He knows you don’t get your studs on the ball, all those little habits Brazilian players have from a slower type of game.
“But he’s a tough lad, mentally very strong and a top, top human being. He’s always positive, always works hard and tries his best.
“It didn’t always work out last season, even in training sometimes but we encouraged him to keep being himself and he’s quietly confident.”
Despite being signed by former United boss Jose Mourinho, Fred made only six league starts before Solskjaer took over as he struggled to adapt to the English game.
Yet this time he has become a mainstay and will again be as important to their chances of success in today’s trip to Everton as latest hero Bruno Fernandes.
Solskjaer added: “Last season he struggled a bit with the language but coach Martyn Pert came in who’s fluent in Portuguese.
“It’s easier for him to communicate and his English has really improved.”
Now the biggest challenge is for Fred to show that Thursday’s goalscoring was no one-off.
Solskjaer certainly hopes so and joked: “I wasn’t sure I was going to be alive when he scored his next goals.
“He has loads of attempts, he gets to the box, in and around the box often and his right foot is decent as well, he’s just not had the luck.”
Fred is not the only United star whose career has taken off this season under Solskjaer.
SHAW THING
Luke Shaw’s Old Trafford days looked numbered when Mourinho was in charge, as he was constantly criticised and struggled to hold down a regular slot.
Yet this season — boosted by the faith of the current boss — he has returned to the form which earned him England honours as a teenager and put him in the running for a place in the Euros.
Shaw admitted recently he owes a great deal to Solskjaer’s backing and the United boss insists he deserves everything that is coming his way.
He added: “Luke is very focused and concentrated, works well in training and is consistently fit now. He’s matured a lot and it’s great to see.
“Luke has had his difficulties and the injury he had in the past was a bad one.
“Mentally that has been difficult for him but he’s another you want to do well because he is such a positive boy.”
United’s Europa League win over Belgian’s runaway table-toppers was their fifth in the past seven games, in a run which included victories at neighbours City and Chelsea.
Yet Solskjaer knows they must produce even better if they hope to seal a top-four finish and book a Champions League slot regardless of what happens with City’s European ban.
He added: “We feel we’re in good form and Sunday is going to be a massive game because Everton want to be in the challenge as well.
“So it’s a big test of how far we have we have come. Brugge are the only team in the last seven who have scored against us so hopefully we can keep the clean sheets going.
“We want to get into the top four. That’s been the aim and whatever happens with others, we can’t concern ourselves about.
“We have to improve, that has to be our focus because we want to challenge for the top.”
