A familiar face was spotted at the Manchester United hotel in Istanbul ahead of their crucial Champions League clash with Galatasaray.
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Fred visits former United team-matesNow plays in Istanbul for FenerbahceInstagram comment criticising club draws supportWHAT HAPPENED?
Fred paid a visit to his former team-mates as they prepared for a game that is crucial to keeping their faltering Champions League alive. The Brazilian midfielder was all smiles as he posed with the likes of Victor Lindelof, Bruno Fernandes and Erik Ten Hag. And it seems that his popularity extends beyond his old colleagues as a pithy comment castigating United for selling the 30-year-old racked up over 3,000 likes on the club's official Instagram feed. A reply quipping: "Bro should have never been sold in the first place," drew support as well as sparking plenty of debate.
AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE
Fred was sold to Fenerbahce in the summer for a fee of £12.9m ($14.9m) as United looked to reshape their midfield. But a campaign in which Casemiro has struggled for form and fitness while Ten Hag has had to patch together different combinations in the centre of the park has clearly seen the Brazilian international's standing amongst supporters at Old Trafford rise since his departure.
GettyDID YOU KNOW?
Fred first arrived in European football with Shakhtar Donetsk who made recruiting promising Brazilian talent a key part of their transfer strategy. Fernandinho, Willian and Douglas Costa are among the other major talents that were first brought to Europe by the innovative Ukrainian club before the invasion by Russia caused the current crop to be evacuated.
WHAT NEXT FOR FRED AND MANCHESTER UNITED?
Fred will be a full-throated supporter of his old club this evening as they desperately seek a result to put them back in the qualification hunt.
