Fred's Reds redemption: Stats suggest Erik ten Hag made big mistake in selling Man United midfielder to Fenerbahce

Manchester United will come up against a few familiar faces when they meet Fenerbahce in the Europa League on Thursday night. 

None more so than Fred, the 31-year-old diminutive midfielder who played for United between 2018 and 2023, representing the club 213 times in total and scoring 14 goals.

Fred divided United fans, with some extolling his best attributes like his work rate, selflessness and big-game mentality, although he often frustrated others with a tendency to make simple errors.

His sale in 2023 was welcomed by many supporters, yet United haven't fared too well since parting ways with the Brazilian. 

The Sporting News delves into the numbers behind Fred's time at United and the statistics around Erik ten Hag's side since Fenerbahce swooped for his signature. 

MORE: Manchester United chiefs responds to season’s shaky start under Erik ten Hag

Why did Manchester United sell Fred?

"I carry the piano for the artists to play," Fred once famously said in February 2022, during a particularly impressive run of form for United.

The Brazilian was one of the few players to impress for the club under the interim stewardship of Ralf Rangnick. 

Fred had previously been a regular for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, playing a box-to-box midfield role behind the more creative and attacking players like Bruno Fernandes, Marcus Rashford, Paul Pogba and Anthony Martial. 

He was not an automatic pick when Erik ten Hag got the United job, however, playing a diminished role in the 2022/23 season, largely from the bench. 

It seemed Ten Hag didn't need someone for his artists to rely on and the club sanctioned Fred's sale, with a year left to run on his contract, for just £12.9m. Turkish side Fenerbahce believed they had landed a good deal – and so it has been. 

Getty Images

Manchester United's record with and without Fred

The £12.9m fee generated for Fred's services seemed cheap at the time and looks especially minuscule when you consider United paid an £8.6m loan fee for Sofyan Amrabat – who was effectively his replacement. 

Amrabat, loaned to United from Fiorentina for the 2023/24 season, had a torrid time at Old Trafford. He initially struggled to get into the side, then suffered injuries and his peak came too late for the Moroccan to secure himself a longer deal at United.

He ended with 30 appearances for United (21 in the league) and no goals. 

The numbers tell their own story regarding United and whether or not they should have sold Fred. 

Since Ten Hag took over at the start of the 2022/23 season, United have a better win percentage in the games Fred has played, conceded fewer goals per game and have generally been better across most metrics. 

*Stats apply to Manchester United Premier League games under Ten Hag (Since August 2022)

It's important to stress that in the 2022/23 season, United had the benefit of an in-form Marcus Rashford, Casemiro had hit the ground running in midfield and the defensive partnership between Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez was particularly strong.

But even so it's hard to deny the difference in the numbers before and after Fred's departure. Most stark, perhaps, is United's win percentage, but also the number of shots and goals conceded during  the past two seasons. 

Averaging 1.1 goals conceded per game is pretty good, while reducing opponents to less than 13 shots per game compared with more than 16 shots is a big difference. Perhaps Ten Hag made a mistake all along. 

Fenerbahce's Manchester United connection

It's not just Fred in the Fenerbahce ranks who has strong connections with United. There is also Amrabat, the man who temporarily replaced him in the United engine room. 

Then there's Jose Mourinho, of course, who was the manager who brought Fred to Old Trafford before the Portuguese coach was relieved of his duties as United boss in December 2018.

Interestingly, that came with United sixth in the table on 26 points after 17 games of the season. They finished eighth in 23/24 on 60 points and are currently 11th on 11 points after eight games. 

Fred looks back fondly on his time in Manchester but will be fully focussed on trying to  pile further pressure on the under-fire Ten Hag on Thursday.

He told Uefa: "Despite the cold – because it’s really cold there – those were five great years in Manchester.

"I felt welcomed there. My first child was born in England. I made many friends in the coaching staff, the physios, some players.

"They were here in Turkiye [in October 2023] when they played against our arch-rival, Galatasaray, and I visited them at their hotel.

"If I’m here now, I thank Fenerbahçe, but I also have to thank Manchester United a lot for everything I experienced there, for my development as a player and as a person.

"It will be great to see all those guys again, all the friends I left there, but I hope we win.

"I cheer for them, I follow the club, but now, I hope that Fenerbahce wins. It will be tough, but I hope we win with the support of our fans, which will be very important."

Official: Fred has completed his permanent move from #mufc to Turkish side Fenerbahçex

Best of luck, @Fred08oficial ❤️ pic.twitter.com/ZlGS1S258L

— UtdDistrict (@UtdDistrict) August 13, 2023

All Manchester United players sold by Erik ten Hag

Erik ten Hag has overseen the exits of 22 first-team players in his time at Old Trafford. Below are all the (senior) permanent departures Ten Hag has sanctioned at United since taking the job in June 2022.

*Correct as of October 2024.