When Brazil play their strongest team, Manchester United midfielder Fred is in their starting line-up. The 28-year-old plays in central midfield, just ahead of Real Madrid’s Casemiro or Liverpool’s Fabinho or Roberto Firmino, just behind Neymar, Vinicius Junior, Gabriel Jesus, Everton or Everton’s Richarlison.
Fred has played 12 times for Brazil in 2021, the only defeat coming in the Copa America final against Argentina. Brazil kept nine clean sheets in Fred’s 12 games. Two weeks ago, he played 90 minutes against Argentina. Lionel Messi did not score.
Fred’s stock is higher for Brazil than for United, where he has had an inconsistent time which has mirrored the team since joining for £47 million ($62.5m) from Shakhtar Donetsk in 2018. A year in, this correspondent received a call from someone close to United suggesting that I did some digging into who was responsible for his "disgraceful" transfer. There were no such calls two weeks later when Fred was man of the match away in a win at Manchester City.
Fred is a mainstay of United, too. Not in the idealised best XIs which fans draw up and favour more glamorous names, but in reality. He’s had good and bad games this season, but he has been influential in both of United’s last two games with Michael Carrick as caretaker manager.
“He’s played a little bit higher up the pitch,” Carrick told The National ahead of Thursday’s game against Arsenal. “We’ve tweaked a couple of things for both games and he’s done ever so well, especially with the regains - which led to Cristiano [Ronaldo]’s goal in Villarreal. He nearly got one (against Chelsea) when he intercepted from [Edouard] Mendy and he nearly scored.”
Nearly is pushing it. United mascot Fred the Red would have made a better effort, for Fred’s shot which could have given United a late win in front of their travelling fans was weak and easily saved, but he was in the right advanced position, despite United playing defensively, to win the ball, as he was twice in Villarreal.
Fred plays mainly because he does his defensive duties well and compensates for the defensive frailties of the attackers. That is now more relevant that ever with Ronaldo in the team. Fred has had some bad moments on the ball, the worst being at the start of October when he was muscled off the ball twice by Everton’s Demarai Gray in the lead to their equaliser.
That was the afternoon that many fans lost faith in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as manager. Yet, within United, there is a feeling that Fred was a significant reason why the team finished second last season; that his game is all about getting to the ball, blocking the opponents’ passing lanes, and being well positioned to do that. Solskjaer always felt that he read the game well, that he was extremely mobile, and that, being smaller, he could make the type of tackles that he’s been praised for in the last week.
Chelsea v Manchester United player ratings
Fred will never make an English teacher, but he’s popular in the dressing room, he always has a smile even when others who share his Portuguese mother tongue don’t.
“It gets overlooked that he’s the first choice midfielder in a good Brazil team,” said Carrick. “That shows how much he’s improved since he joined the club. I really like him and for me one of the biggest things which maybe people don’t see is the attitude and his desire to be a team player. He’s desperate to put himself out there to play games.”
So desperate that he’ll play through pain.
“He twisted his ankle in the first half against Villarreal,” revealed Carrick. “That would have seen a lot of players come off at half time. To come out in the second half when you’re stiff and swollen and sore isn’t always easy, but he got through that. He bounced into the game and there was no way he was going to miss the next one (at Chelsea). That mentality is infectious and I’m all for that. Fred brings a great energy to the team.”
Fred is no fan hero. The term ‘McFred’ to describe him and his usual midfielder warhorse foil of Scott McTominay is more pejorative than praise. Even when he’s excellent, such as in the second half against Atalanta at home, he gets overshadowed by the goalscorers.
But he’s coming up against top players for club and country and playing well. Etienne Capoue was the man of the match against United for Villarreal in the Europa League final in Gdansk and at Old Trafford. Not last week he wasn’t, with Fred on his case as he pushed up on the Frenchman.
Fred’s energy means he can press and now he’s charged with winning the ball higher up. That has long been a foundation of the type of football played by Ralf Rangnick, United’s interim manager who is expected to be in the Old Trafford stands for the Arsenal game but not pick the team since he’s waiting on approval for a work permit.
Carrick, usually a coach, has long worked with and encouraged Fred, even when he was performing well in training but not replicating that in matches in 2018-19. He only played 25 games in his first difficult season at Old Trafford, when he didn’t feel the confidence of his manager Jose Mourinho.
The opinion was that his head would go down when he made his first mistake, but the man from Brazil’s third biggest city, Belo Horizonte, improved and played 48 United games in each of the following seasons.
He has a big game against Arsenal at Old Trafford, but United are statistically better with Fred in the team – a team he wants to huddle before games. Fred has still got to be more consistent and give the ball away less but he is in a good place as United welcome a new manager who might value his qualities.
RESULT
Arsenal 1 Chelsea 2
Arsenal: Aubameyang (13')
Chelsea: Jorginho (83'), Abraham (87')
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In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
What are NFTs?
Are non-fungible tokens a currency, asset, or a licensing instrument? Arnab Das, global market strategist EMEA at Invesco, says they are mix of all of three.
You can buy, hold and use NFTs just like US dollars and Bitcoins. “They can appreciate in value and even produce cash flows.”
However, while money is fungible, NFTs are not. “One Bitcoin, dollar, euro or dirham is largely indistinguishable from the next. Nothing ties a dollar bill to a particular owner, for example. Nor does it tie you to to any goods, services or assets you bought with that currency. In contrast, NFTs confer specific ownership,” Mr Das says.
This makes NFTs closer to a piece of intellectual property such as a work of art or licence, as you can claim royalties or profit by exchanging it at a higher value later, Mr Das says. “They could provide a sustainable income stream.”
This income will depend on future demand and use, which makes NFTs difficult to value. “However, there is a credible use case for many forms of intellectual property, notably art, songs, videos,” Mr Das says.
MATCH INFO
Iceland 0 England 1 (Sterling pen 90 1)
Man of the match Kari Arnason (Iceland)
match details
Wales v Hungary
Cardiff City Stadium, kick-off 11.45pm
Squad
Ali Kasheif, Salim Rashid, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Khalfan Mubarak, Ali Mabkhout, Omar Abdulrahman, Mohammed Al Attas, Abdullah Ramadan, Zayed Al Ameri (Al Jazira), Mohammed Al Shamsi, Hamdan Al Kamali, Mohammed Barghash, Khalil Al Hammadi (Al Wahda), Khalid Essa, Mohammed Shaker, Ahmed Barman, Bandar Al Ahbabi (Al Ain), Al Hassan Saleh, Majid Suroor (Sharjah) Walid Abbas, Ahmed Khalil (Shabab Al Ahli), Tariq Ahmed, Jasim Yaqoub (Al Nasr), Ali Saleh, Ali Salmeen (Al Wasl), Hassan Al Muharami (Baniyas)
MATCH INFO
Newcastle 2-2 Manchester City
Burnley 0-2 Crystal Palace
Chelsea 0-1 West Ham
Liverpool 2-1 Brighton
Tottenham 3-2 Bournemouth
Southampton v Watford (late)
Tips for job-seekers
- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
- Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
What is Folia?
Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal's new plant-based menu will launch at Four Seasons hotels in Dubai this November. A desire to cater to people looking for clean, healthy meals beyond green salad is what inspired Prince Khaled and American celebrity chef Matthew Kenney to create Folia. The word means "from the leaves" in Latin, and the exclusive menu offers fine plant-based cuisine across Four Seasons properties in Los Angeles, Bahrain and, soon, Dubai.
Kenney specialises in vegan cuisine and is the founder of Plant Food Wine and 20 other restaurants worldwide. "I’ve always appreciated Matthew’s work," says the Saudi royal. "He has a singular culinary talent and his approach to plant-based dining is prescient and unrivalled. I was a fan of his long before we established our professional relationship."
Folia first launched at The Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills in July 2018. It is available at the poolside Cabana Restaurant and for in-room dining across the property, as well as in its private event space. The food is vibrant and colourful, full of fresh dishes such as the hearts of palm ceviche with California fruit, vegetables and edible flowers; green hearb tacos filled with roasted squash and king oyster barbacoa; and a savoury coconut cream pie with macadamia crust.
In March 2019, the Folia menu reached Gulf shores, as it was introduced at the Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay, where it is served at the Bay View Lounge. Next, on Tuesday, November 1 – also known as World Vegan Day – it will come to the UAE, to the Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach and the Four Seasons DIFC, both properties Prince Khaled has spent "considerable time at and love".
There are also plans to take Folia to several more locations throughout the Middle East and Europe.
While health-conscious diners will be attracted to the concept, Prince Khaled is careful to stress Folia is "not meant for a specific subset of customers. It is meant for everyone who wants a culinary experience without the negative impact that eating out so often comes with."
Match info:
Manchester City 2
Sterling (8'), Walker (52')
Newcastle United 1
Yedlin (30')
Manchester United v Club America
When: Thursday, 9pm Arizona time (Friday UAE, 8am)
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Yahya Al Ghassani's bio
Date of birth: April 18, 1998
Playing position: Winger
Clubs: 2015-2017 – Al Ahli Dubai; March-June 2018 – Paris FC; August – Al Wahda
The specs
Price, base / as tested Dh12 million
Engine 8.0-litre quad-turbo, W16
Gearbox seven-speed dual clutch auto
Power 1479 @ 6,700rpm
Torque 1600Nm @ 2,000rpm 0-100kph: 2.6 seconds 0-200kph: 6.1 seconds
Top speed 420 kph (governed)
Fuel economy, combined 35.2L / 100km (est)
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Brief scores:
Southampton 2
Armstrong 13', Soares 20'
Manchester United 2
Lukaku 33', Herrera 39'
Result
Arsenal 4
Monreal (51'), Ramsey (82'), Lacazette 85', 89')
West Ham United 1
Arnautovic (64')
Martin Sabbagh profile
Job: CEO JCDecaux Middle East
In the role: Since January 2015
Lives: In the UAE
Background: M&A, investment banking
Studied: Corporate finance
