Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has praised the impact Alex Telles, Fred and Bruno Fernandes have had in lifting spirits in the Manchester United dressing room this season. United have been engaged in a demanding season since they kicked their first ball in mid-September, playing twice a week every week so far, a run that will continue deep into April at the very least.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said: “Three peas in a pod, you know – Fred, Bruno and Alex. They hang around each other. So much enthusiasm and hunger and need to get knowledge about football, to make the most out of their careers. They watch all the Brazilian games and Portuguese games and it’s crazy how those three keep pushing each other on, keep practising free kicks and shots from outside the box. And it’s great to have these characters around the dressing room you know. Because it’s a tough enough season if everyone is just going to focus on themselves, it’s great to have groups and players with energy and a bit of smile, who put the Brazilian samba music on and a smile on faces and all this.”
Fred was one of United’s heroes in the San Siro on Thursday night, shaking off an unconvincing first half to be a driving force after the break, when Paul Pogba’s goal sealed United’s passage past AC Milan. The energy and intensity and tenacity of the play in midfield, it builds a lot of our defensive performances,” the United boss said.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said: “There was a three or four-minute spell in the first half tonight where everything went wrong for Fred but he never gives in, he’s got that enthusiasm to play and go again. He’s a Brazilian – he loves to play, he loves to get on the ball, he is never afraid of making himself available and ready. So I’m so pleased for the boy. He has been working so hard since his difficult start at the club.”
