Liverpool midfielder Fabinho has jumped to the defence of Manchester United's Fred ahead of Monday's crunch Premier League clash between the two rivals at Old Trafford. The Red Devils head into the game after suffering a disastrous start to the season. Erik ten Hag's men were beaten 2-1 in their opener against Brighton and hammered 4-0 at Brentford last time out.
Fred has been regularly criticised by supporters since signing from Shakhtar Donetsk in 2018 for a fee of £52.5 million ($70m).
What has Fabinho said about Fred's critics?
Fabinho told The Telegraph that he feels his Brazil international team-mate has been unfairly targeted during his time at Old Trafford.
"Sometimes I don’t really understand the criticisms with Fred because he is a regular player, he always plays good football," he said.
"In general Manchester United have not been successful in the last seasons so you try to find a solution or you try to put the fault on some of the players and sometimes I think Fred is that player.
Getty"But he is a good player, in the national team, he is always a starter, he always plays good and, yes, sometimes the player needs a little bit more confidence to play good.
"Last season he played really good football, maybe he was one of the best United players. This season United didn’t start really good but I hope Fred will play good and United will stay playing like this."
What did Fabinho say about Casemiro joining Fred at Man Utd?
Fred will shortly be joined in Manchester by Casemiro, who is set to complete a move from Real Madrid.
(C)Getty ImagesThe two players feature regularly together for Tite's Brazil team alongisde Fabinho, who is confident the 30-year-old will be a good signing for the Red Devils.
"I played with him in Real Madrid's second team and with the national team," he explained. "He is a friend, we always have conversations and he is a good guy.
“Of course, he will be a good signing. Casemiro is a smart guy, he is a good player, he is strong, he is good in the air, so it will not be hard for him to adapt to the Premier League.”
United take on Liverpool in search of their first points of the new season, while their opponents are still looking for a first win. The Reds have been held to draws by Fulham and Crystal Palace in their first two games.
