Man United beat AS Roma 6-2 in the first leg of their Europa League semi-final but despite the fine outing, pundit Paul Scholes has raised eyebrows over the contributions from Fred.
Fred and McTominay have been the first-choice midfield pairing for Manchester United for most of this season and while these two have come up with very good performances there’s no denying that neither of them are world class.
It was Roma who actually took a 2-1 in the first leg but Man United managed to turn things around. And speaking after the match, Paul Scholes questioned Fred’s contributions to the side.
Scholes told BT Sport, as quoted: “That’s what Fred is in the team for, he’s in the team to stop this type of thing.
“From their best midfield player he gets in behind them [United’s defence]. Fred… please stop that. He contributes nothing going forward and his absolute job is to stop that type of thing. And he’s been left wanting again.”
"Oh! That miskick!"
"Scholsey you meant that, didn't you?"
"No."
😂 Paul Scholes as deadpan as ever describing *that* semi-final goal against Barcelona, 13 years on… pic.twitter.com/YI3ar9xvM1
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) April 29, 2021
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer though was quick to come out and lay it clear that it’s very easy to make and criticize decisions as pundits.
The manager said: “Yeah. You can say that. It’s easy up there thinking who should play, who should not play.
“Maybe those [Scholes and Owen Hargreaves] two should leave players out themselves and pick a team with balance.”
While Fred has improved a lot over the course of this season but if Man United are serious about challenging for the Champions League title next season then Ole has to bring in an upgrade.
The Brazilian is great when it comes to dominating against the minnows but it’s against the big sides that Fred cannot offer anything substantial. This season, he has played in 27 Premier League games, scoring just one goal and failing to provide even a single assist.
