Manchester United look to have been given at least one piece of good news after last night’s shock exit from the Champions League at the hands of Sevilla.
According to the Times, the Red Devils look set to complete the summer signing of Brazilian midfielder Fred, with Shakhtar Donetsk confirming he’s set to leave the club.
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Although the Ukrainian side say Fred will join either United or their rivals Manchester City, the Times’ report claims the player himself expects his next destination to be Old Trafford.
This is reportedly due to City cooling their interest in the 25-year-old, which perhaps makes sense as United look in more urgent need of signings in midfield.
In general, a major rebuilding job looks needed at United this summer after the club’s humiliating early exit from the Champions League, as well as their total failure to get anywhere near Manchester City in the Premier League title race.
On top of that, Jose Mourinho certainly looks short of quality midfielders in his squad as he faces losing Michael Carrick to retirement, while Marouane Fellaini is nearing the end of his contract.
‘We need to sign a midfield player,’ Mourinho was recently quoted in the Independent. ‘Because we are going to lose Michael Carrick. Of course, we need balance in the team.’
Fred has shone for Shakhtar and could be an ideal solution to the club’s problems, though many will question how much more money Mourinho needs to finally build a winning squad after so many high-profile signings in his relatively short reign already.
The Portuguese has spent vast sums on the likes of Paul Pogba, Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez but is yet to truly get the best out of the personnel at his disposal.