Keane questions Solskjaer over claim Man Utd player was a ‘seven out of ten every time’

Man Utd legend Roy Keane has questioned Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s suggestion that Fred was consistently at least a “seven out of ten” for the Red Devils.

The Brazilian was often criticised during his time at Old Trafford and eventually left for Turkish club Fenerbahce in the summer for €15m.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer: Fred was ‘seven, eight out of ten every time’

His former team-mates at Shakhtar Donetsk were understood to be shocked by his £47m move to Man Utd in June 2018 with a report insisting the transfer ‘raised eyebrows’ at the time.

And Man Utd legend Keane, who also played in midfield for the Red Devils, was one of Fred’s biggest critics during his time at Old Trafford.

Speaking after Man Utd were beaten 2-0 by Man City at Old Trafford in November 2021, Keane said: “Anyone who says Fred is good enough for Man Utd is living in cuckoo land and that is an important part of the football pitch.

“If Ole walked in here now I’d grab him and say, ‘why are you playing Fred in the middle of the park, huge position for Manchester United’.”

On whether he sees similarities between his time at Man Utd and Erik ten Hag’s current tenure, Solskjaer said: “Yeah, definitely.

“It’s that consistency again – play well for a time then you don’t know what you’re going to get and that’s the worst thing for a manager. If you don’t know what you’re going to get from your team, it’s horrible, absolutely horrible.

“That’s why when you have a Fred, Scott [McTominay], Nemanja [Matic] – you have players who you know they’re going to give you seven, eight out of ten every time. They’re going to give you everything. That’s the best feeling [as a manager].”

Before Keane interjected: “Fred… seven, eight [out of ten] – not sure about that one.”

To which Solskjaer replied: “I really liked him in midfield – his legs. They needed them legs in midfield.”

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer: There’s no quick fix at Man Utd

When asked if new Man Utd co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe can turn things around at Old Trafford, Solskjaer added: “I don’t think there’s a magic wand as in, ‘we’ve changed the owners’.

“But obviously, they’ve got their ways of working, the Glazers have still got their commercial, who knows how it’s going to be in football with that side of it.

“Obviously Erik, I hope he’s going to be successful. We hope he’s going to make it, but you never know what the new owners are thinking.

“It’s about results and consistency the rest of the season.”