As of this afternoon, Brazilian internatonal Fred has finally become a Manchester United player. The former Shakhtar Donetsk midfielder, currently representing his country in Russia for the World Cup, will leave Ukraine for a fee reported to be around £50m, and has signed a five-year deal at Old Trafford.
In his first interview since the transfer, Fred had this to say to Manutd.com: “I’m really happy,” he said. “I’m so happy to be here and to have the opportunity to play for this club. It’s a huge club with great history and it’s a real honour to perform for United. I’m just so happy to have completed the transfer and now look forward to playing for the club.
“Manchester United, as I say, is a huge club. When I was young, it was a name I used to hear and it was a name I used to see on computer games and I used to play with the team. For me, Manchester United means greatness.
When asked about playing at Old Trafford, Fred recounted his first visit in 2013 when playing for Shakhtar in the Champions League: “I think the name ‘The Theatre of Dreams’ sums it up. It’s such a great stadium. On that occasion I played against Ryan Giggs and I was so happy to have that opportunity to play against him. Now I’m coming to join the club, not to play alongside Giggs, but to play for the team that he represented and to fight for the same colours.”
Fred’s enthusiasm for his protracted move to United is certainly shining through here, which will certainly endear him to the club’s supporters. United’s fanbase may need to wait a little while to see this second summer signing in action due to Brazil’s ongoing involvement in the World Cup, but there’s a sense that a major piece of Jose Mourinho’s midfield puzzle has been solved with this transfer.
