31 January 2023 , 22:33
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Erik ten Hag has backed Fred to fill the void left in Manchester United's midfield by Christian Eriksen's enforced absence.
Eriksen has been ruled out for at least three months through injury following a reckless challenge from Andy Carroll in United's 3-1 FA Cup win over Reading last Saturday. With Scott McTominay also sidelined for a few weeks, Ten Hag has been left with just two fit central midfielders, namely South American duo Fred and Casemiro.
Fred and Casemiro will form United's midfield for Wednesday's EFL Cup semi-final second leg against Nottingham Forest, with the Red Devils holding a commanding 3-0 lead from the first leg. The pair play together for Brazil and Ten Hag said he believes Fred has the quality and personality to step up and ease the blow of losing Eriksen for so long.
“He’s playing together with Casemiro in the Brazil squad,” Ten Hag said of Fred. “I would say that’s not the worst squad in the world. They have so many choices they can make, but they often prefer to play them together and that tells you something about the quality Fred has and what he can contribute to the team. He's done that several times.
“When I see his performance - for instance, against Tottenham and Manchester City - and when he's coming on in the last game, he scored a goal, so he has a lot of qualities and they're a really good combination, Casemiro and Fred.
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“I think you can never fill that gap [left by Eriksen], because every player has his own characteristics and identity. Another player will always fill it in in a different way, but that doesn't mean you have to be less successful.
Christian Eriksen was injured by a tackle from Andy Carroll (Martin Rickett/PA Wire)“It’s quite clear Christian brings top quality to our squad and especially he has some specifics that are hard to replace - for instance, his impact in the final third with his final ball.”
Eriksen is a huge loss to United as they continue to fight for glory on four fronts – in the Premier League, EFL Cup, FA Cup and Europa League. The 30-year-old Denmark international has started 18 of United's 20 Premier League games and brings a unique creativity to the midfield with his vision and ability to open up defences.
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Fred scored against Reading in the FA Cup fourth-round win (Getty Images)United are 90 minutes away from a first final under Ten Hag in his debut season and the Dutchman called for focus, despite his holding a big advantage from the first leg.
“We have a perfect chance to go to Wembley and bring a trophy in,” said Ten Hag. “Therefore, we have to focus and gather the energy. We need a game plan and we have to do it with the players available.”
Anthony Martial and Jadon Sancho are set to return to the match-day squad. Sancho has not played for United since October after struggling physically and mentally.