Solskjaer Explains Why He Subbed Fred Off Against Huddersfield Town

Despite being the sole marquee signing of the 2018 summer transfer window, Fred has struggled to nail down a first-team spot at Manchester United so far this season.

The midfielder was barely played by former manager Jose Mourinho, who cited the team’s defensive issues as the reason behind his avoidance to select an attack-minded midfielder like Fred.

Infrequent game-time has already led to speculation surrounding the player’s future, although links of a potential departure were straightaway dismissed by the Brazilian’s agent, Gilberto Silva.

Moreover, the former Shakhtar Donetsk man has already made two appearances in new boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s first two games in charge of the Red Devils, which is undoubtedly a good sign.

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While he was brought on as a late substitute in Solskjaer’s first game against Cardiff City, Fred started the game against Huddersfield Town, alongside Nemanja Matic and Paul Pogba.

While he did start the game impressively, he began struggling as time passed, and was eventually subbed off for Ander Herrera 53 minutes into the Boxing Day fixture.

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While many wondered if the substitution was a worrying sign for the 25-year-old, Solskjaer later explained his move by stating that it was merely a tactical decision.

“You want some experience and some guts,” the Norwegian told MUTV. “With Ash (Ashley Young) and Ander (Herrera) you get players who have been around the block.

“I thought we struggled when we started the second-half so it just settled the whole thing down. Second half I think the first seven or eight minutes we struggled and then David’s save was the key moment for us.”