Manchester United could have a problem on their hands this summer with Michael Carrick retiring and Marouane Fellaini seemingly no closer to signing a new contract.
As per ESPN, the Belgian international has been tipped to move on this summer, and that could leave us with a void to fill in midfield given the lack of depth it could expose.
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In turn, it’s a relief that speculation is linking United with a move for a midfielder, with respected journalist from Sky Sport Italia and The Guardian, Fabrizio Romano, claiming that Shakhtar Donetsk ace Fred is closing in on a €50m move to Old Trafford, as per his tweet below.
Further, it’s suggested that he will undergo his medical and potentially sign his new contract ‘soon’, and so it remains to be seen when an official announcement arrives from the club.
Having finished 19 points adrift of Manchester City this past season as well as crashing out of the Champions League at the last-16 stage, there are evidently flaws to be addressed in our squad and gaps to be bridged next season in order to compete for major trophies.
Losing the experience, leadership and quality that Carrick and Fellaini brought to the table is going to make that process even harder for us, but should we manage to sign Fred, it’ll certainly be a step in the right direction to find a solution.
Fred, 25, is a Brazilian international with seven caps to his name. Further, he’s made 156 appearances for Shakhtar since joining them in 2013, and he has since gone on to win three league titles.
A powerful and agile presence in the middle of the pitch, he could perhaps be the crucial addition to unlock Paul Pogba’s attacking potential by giving him more freedom as he’ll provide more solidity and coverage next to Nemanja Matic. Now it remains to be seen if the deal can be wrapped up to get us off to a great start this summer…
Manchester United have finalized Fred deal for 50M. He’s going to have medicals and sign his contract soon. 🇧🇷🔴 #MUFC #transfers #ManUnited
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) May 24, 2018