Summary Fred has finally left Manchester United and could be replaced by an elite £34m talent. The player in question has serious 'Pogba vibes' about him, making this an exciting transfer saga. He could transform Ten Hag's midfield and take the Red Devils to the next level.
Manchester United have finally confirmed the departure of Fred following five years at Old Trafford.
The Brazilian has joined Turkish outfit Fenerbahce for £8.6m and although United failed to recoup the majority of the £47m they shelled out on him in 2018, the move will give Erik ten Hag some extra funds to supplement his squad.
He started just 12 Premier League matches and although he registered 12 goal contributions – six goals and six assists – it was evident he wasn’t in any of Ten Hag’s future plans.
Who could replace Fred at Manchester United?
The Dutchman is interested in signing another defender or two before the transfer window shuts, yet he may also add another midfielder to offset the loss of the Brazilian.
Fabrizio Romano confirmed last week that there was a scout in attendance to watch Jean-Clair Todibo for OGC Nice as Ten Hag looks to lure him to Old Trafford.
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According to Get French Football News, however, the scouts were also watching midfielder Khephren Thuram with regard to making a potential swoop.
The Frenchman is currently valued at around €40m (£34m) by Nice and they would be willing to do business with United should they make an offer in this region.
How good is Khephren Thuram?
The 22-year-old comes from excellent footballing stock, as his father Lillian was arguably one of the finest French defenders of all time, helping his side to World Cup and European Championship glory over 20 years ago.
Thuram could be the ideal replacement for Fred for the Red Devils, especially with the fact that he is currently shining on the continent.
Indeed, when compared to positional peers across Europe’s top five leagues, Thuram ranks in the top 5% for progressive carries per 90 (3.26) and the top 8% for successful take-ons per 90 (1.65), suggesting that he loves to progress the ball deep into the opposition half and isn’t afraid of taking on a defender or two in the process.
Those numbers aid the suggestion that he gives "Pogba vibes" as European football expert Alex Barker once put it.
In comparison, Fred ranked outside the top 40% across the big five leagues for both metrics, managing just 0.8 progressive carries and successful take-ons per 90, a major drop from the figures Thuram registered.
The Nice starlet also created more big chances (nine to four), key passes (1.1 to 0.9) and successful dribbles per game (1.3 to 0.3) than the United flop domestically, clearly indicating that he’d be an instant upgrade, especially from an attacking point of view.
Even defensively, Thuram averaged more tackles (1.5 to 1.3), interceptions (1.1 to 0.5) and won more total duels (3.8 to 2.6) per game than the new Fenerbahce midfielder.
Journalist Zach Lowy lauded the Nice gem at the beginning of the summer transfer window, saying: “Khéphren Thuram is just the sort of player that Liverpool need to transform their midfield. Elite ball carrier for someone of his size and really effective at winning the ball high up the pitch — perfect signing for Klopp’s side.”
Liverpool’s loss could certainly become Man United’s gain as Ten Hag looks to revolutionise his midfield ahead of the new Premier League campaign.