Rivaldo: Man Utd players ‘need to adopt’ their midfielder’s ‘mentality’

Lewis Oldham
Rivaldo praises Man Utd's Fred

Brazil and Barcelona legend Rivaldo has called for Manchester United’s players to be more like Fred as he “always gives everything” for the team.

After playing for Shakhtar Donetsk between 2013 and 2018, Fred signed for Man United for a fee of around £47m.

The Brazillian has been a key player over the past few years as he has played 135 times for United across all competitions.


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Fred’s performances have been criticised at times by fans and pundits. He was relied upon by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and he has played 14 times in 2021/22.

As quoted by the Mirror, Rivaldo praised Fred as his style makes him the ideal player for Ralf Rangnick:

“United have been criticised for not pressing their opponents but the Brazilian midfielder Fred always gives everything and presses opponents all the time,” Rivaldo said.

“This is the kind of mentality that all United’s players need to adopt. Ragnick’s mission will be getting his players to press higher and collectively which will approximate them to the success.

“[Rangnick’s] mission will be to change the team’s approach to matches since they have been criticised for being too passive.

“There’s still time for them to recover this season and at least fight for a trophy. They must grow in confidence. The arrival of a new manager always creates new motivation in a team.

“The manager won’t solve all issues because it’s the players that go on to the pitch. But new ideas and methods always give a boost to a group of players.”

Rivaldo went onto say that Cristiano Ronaldo will be important under Rangnick:

“Ronaldo always wants to play,” Rivaldo added.

“Michael Carrick’s decision to put him on the bench for United’s trip to Chelsea was about the strategy the manager wanted the team to adopt in the match.

“Cristiano would never ask to start on the bench, I think.

“The way he trains and stays fit allows Ronaldo to keep playing a lot of matches every season despite being 36-years-old.

“He’s still a pivotal player for United. I expect him to start most of the matches until the end of season.”