Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp has lavished praise on Manchester United midfielder Fred after his excellent performance in the Manchester derby.

Most had written off the Brazilian after a disappointing first year at Old Trafford, but Redknapp believes the 26-year-old has shown tremendous character to ignore the critics and get his career back on track:

“The stick he received was remarkable. From ‘useless’ to ‘waste of money’, he was called it all. Maybe he is not the answer for Manchester United in the long term. Maybe he won’t be their midfield lynchpin for years to come.”

“But he has dug deep and refused to let the critics win. He was superb against City. In the same way everyone was quick to criticise, let’s give him the credit he deserves, too.”

Fred is now beginning to show why United shelled out £53m on the player back in the summer of 2018. He made a number of crucial interventions against City and is looking like he is finally settling into life in the Premier League.

The adaptation process can be challenging for players from another country, and the Brazilian has taken longer than most to get to grips with English football.

As Redknapp says, though, while many others would have given up, Fred has shown real determination to win over both the supporters and his critics with his recent displays.