Mercurial midfielder Fred set to leave Manchester United for Fenerbahçe
In a late turn in the transfer window ahead of the Premier League restart this evening, Brazilian midfielder Fred is set to leave Manchester United after they reportedly accepted a bid from Turkish team, Fenerbahçe SK.
That’s right, United fans, the age of McFred is coming to an end.
As per numerous outlets, Man United accepted a bid for Fred from Süper Lig side Fenerbahçe on Thursday for an estimated €15 million euros (£12.9m), with the 30-year-old now set to leave Old Trafford after five years at the club.
Fred made 139 league appearances for the club in the top, scoring eight goals and seven assists — half a dozen of each coming last season, which proved to be one of his best in a United shirt. According to Fabrizio Romano, though, his personal terms have already been agreed.
Neither club is yet to confirm the agreement and the full details surrounding the deal are still unknown but the transfer is said to be permanent, with Fred expected to sign a four-year contract.
The Brazilian international joined the Red Devils from Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk back in 2018 for £52m and was tipped to be a revolutionary signing, having been pursued by Pep Guardiola and Manchester City before opting to choose the other half of Manchester.
He famously made up one-half of the ‘McFred’ midfield partnership alongside Scott McTominay, which whether for the right reasons or not, became iconic and a bit of a meme over the past few seasons.
Capable of solid, no-nonsense and often brilliant performances in one game but pure calamity in the next three, the dynamic duo have been central (quite literally) to the way United play, good or bad, for many years and fans have already responded with somewhat of a bittersweet goodbye.
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However, despite being somewhat of a mainstay in United’s recent generation, he and McTominay only started three matches alongside each other under Erik ten Hag last season and the midfielder was reportedly informed that he would be unlikely to feature regularly going forward.
Nevertheless, he has been a faithful servant during his time at the club, always willing to put in a shift and has genuinely become a bit of a cult figure, with fans inserting his name into the famous ‘tear you apart’ chant and interacting with his family as they watched on from on the stands.
He may never have hit the heights supporters were promised but always did his best to cover every blade of grass and was never afraid to put his body on the line. With Fred now set to leave and vacate the no.17 shirt, many fans are expecting the number to be given to their new striker, Rasmus Højlund.
It has also been rumoured that Scott McTominay might be leaving his boyhood club since the age of five, with West Ham, Newcastle and more said to be interested but it is now thought he will stay. McFred might be over, but Reds might still see the likes of McEriksen and McMount from time to time.
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Featured Image — Fred (via Instagram)