Manchester United’s decision to invest £52.5 million ($67m) in Fred has drawn support from Premier League rivals at Tottenham, with Lucas Moura considering a fellow Brazilian to be a “very, very good player”.
The Red Devils were unable to bring as many fresh faces onto their books over the summer as they would have liked, but they did get one big-money deal pushed through.
Fred’s services were acquired from Shakhtar Donetsk, with United seeing off interest from reigning English champions Manchester City to land the 25-year-old midfielder.
The South American has adapted quickly to new surroundings and is being backed to flourish under the guidance of Jose Mourinho.
He will be hoping to impress again on his next outing against Spurs on Monday, with countryman Lucas talking up the threat he will pose Mauricio Pochettino’s side at Old Trafford when telling his club’s official website: “It’s very good to have another Brazilian in the Premier League and in a strong team like Manchester United.
“Fred is a very, very good player, he’s young and he has a big future both in the Premier League and in the national team.
“He has a lot of quality. When he gets forward from midfield, he can shoot with both feet and he is quick and intelligent.
“I think he can be a very good player for United and I’m happy that he’s here in the Premier League, but I hope we win against him this time!”
GettyAnother Spurs star fully aware of the ability Fred possesses is right-back Serge Aurier, with the Frenchman having previously locked horns with the Brazilian in the Champions League.
He added: “Fred is a very good player.
“He likes to play freely with the ball, he likes to run and he moves well from box to box.
“I remember when I played against him when he was at Shakhtar Donetsk and I was at PSG, he played well but he was only young then.
“Now he has got much more experience, he’s been to the World Cup.
“He signed with Manchester United in the summer and, for me, that was a good decision by United. He’s good defensively and it’s a big, big test when you’re against him but we also have very good players and we will be trying to play our game and get the three points.”