Fred confused by ‘strange’ Man United decision to appoint Ralf Rangnick as interim boss

Callum Boyle

‘It’s a bit strange’

Manchester United midfielder Fred has admitted that he finds it “strange” that the club have an interim manager and stressed the importance of having a “long-term plan.”

Ralf Rangnick became the manager at Old Trafford on a temporary basis until the end of the season following the sacking of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in November.

The German is expected to move into a two-year consultancy role at the end of the season, with the likes of Mauricio Pochettino and Erik ten Hag heavily linked with the permanent role.

But the Brazilian midfielder has questioned his employers’ decision to only appoint a temporary manager and admitted that the lack of planning ahead for the future has left him and his teammates confused.

“It’s a bit strange,” he said during an interview with TNT Sports Brazil via the Daily Mail.

“I know in football it’s important to get good results as soon as possible, but it’s also important to have a long-term plan.

“I think it’s a little bit bad for us not to have one. At the moment it’s all about the short-term goals. We don’t know how it’s going to be after the end of this season.”

Fred has experienced a small resurgence this season and been one of the better players in an otherwise largely disappointing campaign for United.

The 28-year-old scored the third goal for the Red Devils in their 4-2 win against arch rivals Leeds United on Sunday and whilst acknowledging he may not be the best player in the side, he will give his all no matter what.

‘I know I’m not the best player, the most technical, but I give my blood and my life every time I’m on the pitch,” he said.

“As we say in Brazil, I carry the piano for the artists to play. Some fans like me and others don’t. But football is like that, you need to learn to deal with criticism.

“I listen to constructive criticism, for sure, but there is a lot of criticism just to humiliate you. It’s easy to go on social media and write anything full of hatred.”

Fred is part of the United squad who are set to face Atletico Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League last 16 tie on Wednesday night.

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