Herrera deal is bad news for Fred, but unloved Man Utd midfielder is not panicking
Fred has played just 126 minutes under Solskjaer, with the £52m midfielder seemingly behind even Andreas Pereira
FRED has been dealt another massive blow as Manchester United look set to offer Ander Herrera a new contract - but the Brazilian won't panic.
The midfielder star, 25, moved to the Premier League from Shakhtar Donetsk in a £52million deal last summer.
Despite starring for the Ukrainian giants, breaking up the play and cutting through defences with his clever passing, he's barely featured for United.
In fact, Fred has played just 126 minutes under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, with the caretaker chief seemingly preferring Andreas Pereira - who's played 170 minutes.
Recently, in the 2-2 draw with Burnley, Solskjaer opted to bench Herrera - with Pereira given the nod over Fred to start the game.
But, the Norwegian last month suggested Fred will get his chance, saying: “There’s loads of players that have come in and found the first few months difficult.
Fred's Man Utd nightmare - Premier League 2018-19
Games played - 10
Games started - 7
Minutes played - 565
Goals - 1
Assists - 0
Shots - 10
Shot conversion - 10 per cent
Chances created - 7
Passes - 445
Passing accuracy - 88.3 per cent
*All stats from Opta and correct as of Feb 8, 2019
"He will get chances.”
Earlier this season, sacked boss Jose Mourinho revealed Fred wasn't getting his chance as he lacked physicality, despite his superb technique.
Mourinho claimed: “Fred is a technical player. People like [Nemanja] Matic, [Marouane] Fellaini, [Paul] Pogba, even Ander [Herrera] are physical people, strong.
“We think that a player like Fred, and Andreas Pereira, is more technical, they have more quality of passing playing in short spaces and can connect with the attacking players.
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"We thought he could be an important player for us but let’s wait.”
Despite struggling mightily - often looked flustered in possession - friends of Fred have revealed the player himself is not panicking at a lack of playing time.
The Brazilian is loving life in Manchester after fiancee Monique Salum gave birth to their first child together, Benjamin.
But with Herrera set to join Phil Jones, Anthony Martial and Scott McTominay in signing a new long-term deal at Old Trafford, Fred may find his days in Manchester numbered.