A former Manchester United star has been slated by a Brazilian legend after he ignored his transfer advice regarding winning trophies.
Manchester United have chopped and changed a lot of factors in their squad over the past few seasons, from the players, to the managers to the owners.
In an attempt to climb back to the top of the Premier League, the Reds have signed a plethora of top talents, which has also seen many players exit the club.
One of these players to have left Old Trafford in recent seasons is Fred, who played a total of 213 times for the Reds, scoring 14 and assisting 19 during his five-year spell.
In the summer of 2023, Fred joined Fenerbahce in Turkey for a fee in the region of £7 million, although the Brazilian has now been slammed for this decision by a legend of the Seleção.
Taffarel slates Fred’s transfer
As was the way with Fred, former Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson was also linked with both Galatasaray and Fenerbahce throughout the summer window, and the shot-stopper eventually signed for the latter.
This decision has been slammed by Brazilian hero Claudio Taffarel, who believes that Ederson should have signed for Galatasaray instead of Fenerbahce.
As covered by Haber Sarikirmizi, via Sport Witness, Taffarel referred to Fred’s move and stated that he advised his compatriot to move to Galatasaray, but he was ignored. Fred has since gone on to pick up not silverware.
“If Ederson had asked my opinion, I would have told him to go to Galatasaray. Fred was torn between Fenerbahçe and Galatasaray on his way to Turkey. I told him to ‘go to Galatasaray’, but he went to Fenerbahçe. So far, he hasn’t won anything,” said Taffarel.
Did Fred make a mistake?
During the era of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at the Red Devils, a prevalent feature of the Norwegians’ side was his ‘McFred‘ midfield pairing that was often a talking point amongst fans and pundits.
Fred appeared 115 times under Solskjaer, whilst Scott McTominay was shortly behind with 106 appearances. The pair were often criticised, but Solskjaer was always quick to come to their defence.
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Over the past two summers, both Fred and McTominay have departed from United. Whilst the Brazilian has fallen short on the silverware front, McTominay has found a new lease of life in Italy.
The Scottish midfielder signed for Napoli in 2024, and in his first season, managed to win the Serie A, as well as winning the league’s Most Valuable Player award.
Although age is on McTominay’s side, maybe a different move would have favoured Fred, in hindsight. Nonetheless, it is great to see both players flourishing for their new clubs, silverware aside.
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