Frederico Rodrigues de Paula Santos is a name that conjures up the image of a skilful Brazilian, capable of embodying the magic of Gringa with his feet and making fans stand in disbelief at what a footballer can do. The shortened form,”Fred”, has a more British-style nominative simplicity, shorter and more efficient, and it’s this style that Manchester United’s midfielder tends to display on the pitch. In many ways Fred is a victim of expectation versus reality; demand versus need.

£52 million for a Brazilian central midfielder carries with it a certain expectation. The price obviously demands a level of performance, but also the stereotype amongst casual fans demands a particular style of performance too; an ability to dominate with the ball. Yet it is off the ball where Fred excels. And too often in his time at Old Trafford he has been played in a role suited to the stereotype, rather than the reality, of the Brazilian as a player.

An analysis of the underlying metrics reveal a midfielder who comes alive the moment his team lose the ball. Fred’s 78^th percentile ranking for tackles is above average, but his 84^th percentile for interceptions, 92^nd for pressures, and 96^th for blocks are bordering on elite. It’s a selection of physical attributes that aren’t glamorous or Twitter highlights friendly, but are crucial to the modern game, in a very English sense. Erik Ten Hag, the newest manager to try and get the best out of the enigma that is Fred, confirmed the unique nature of English football in a recent interview, asserting ‘…it’s clear the Premier League is a different league, especially with the intensity.’ This intensity therefore appears perfect for a player with the physical abilities of Fred.

But it is his abilities with the ball that have hindered Fred’s Premier League career so far. The 71^st percentile for attempted passes (but only 62^nd percentile for progressive passes) and 66^th percentile for overall passing completion are not egregiously bad for a footballer, yet for a central midfielder playing for one of the biggest teams in his respective league they are poor. These statistics also hide the manner in which Fred loses the ball, often miscuing simple passes or being dispossessed as he receives the ball at crucial moments in transition. There have been matches where he has looked like a fan whose won a competition to be on the pitch such was the dreadful level of performance. An inconsistent first touch, and a weakness in shielding the ball, make Fred a liability as the deepest lying midfielder.

But, ironically, this is the role he has played for much of his time at Old Trafford, due to the scarcity of viable alternatives. Paired with Scott McTominay in a deep-lying double pivot, United fans have endured a level of midfield performance over the last two years that makes the days of Paul Scholes and Roy Keane feel like the Stone Age. The ‘McFred’ duo would be more suited to a McDonalds Menu than a Premier League pitch such is the incompatibility of the two players. While almost complete opposites physically, they both share similar skillsets and operate at their best in the same area of the pitch. Given the freedom to push up and disruptively affect play in the opposition half, they can offer a lot. When placed deeper in the midfield, constrained by the role and asked to help with the ball more than without, they offer little. But Fred still offers far more than his Scottish team mate.

While the Brazilian’s passing abilities leave a lot to be desired, Fred is a quietly productive player in the opposition’s box. The 85^th percentile for non-penalty goals and for assists, as well as the 88^th percentile for shot-creating actions, indicate a midfielder who can be decisive in the final third. McTominay, for comparisons sake, ranks in the 42^nd, 36^th and 28^th percentile for each of those categories.

This leaves us with a player who is excellent without the ball, very productive with the ball in the opposition half, but a liability with it in his own. And it’s this particular selection of attributes that meant Fred must have been the happiest man in Manchester on 22^nd August; the day United signed his Brazilian compatriot, Casemiro. The two men have formed an effective partnership already at international level, regularly starting as the six and eight duo that seems to get the best out of Fred. This is a viewpoint shared by Fred’s former manager at Shakhtar Donetsk, Paulo Fonseca:

‘In my opinion, his position is in a midfield two as the more attacking of two central midfield players.’

It’s evident therefore that it’s long been known how to get the best out of Fred – partnering him with a proper defensive midfielder. And finally, after years of incompetent neglect, Old Trafford have one who’s at the top of the food chain. And Fred finally has the midfield partner who allows him to play further up the pitch, in areas where he excels. United’s recent dispatching of Spurs at home was the perfect example of this partnership in action.

After the game, Ten Hag described Fred’s performance as ‘magnificent’ and such praise still felt like an understatement. Conte set his Spurs’ team up with three defensive midfielders, yet it looked like there were three Fred’s on the pitch such was the energiser bunny mode he was in. It was Manchester United, and Erik Ten Hag’s, best performance of the season with his unBrazilian Brazilian midfielder at the heart of it, supported by the equally impressive Casemiro. If Fred’s time at Old Trafford requires a literary analogy, it would be The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Casemiro appears to be the antidote to the concoction that turns Jekyll into Hyde. Fred may not be the Brazilian midfielder United fans wanted, but he definitely looks like the one the team needs.

Darragh Fox