"Every time he gets the ball he gives it away" - Agbonlahor calls Manchester United star out for 'sloppy passes'

Manchester United midfielder Fred doesn't deserve to be in the Red Devils' starting lineup. That is according to former Aston Villa striker Gabriel Agbonlahor, who criticized the Brazilian for his sloppy passes.

The Englishman was quoted as saying:

"I say it every time I see him play, McTominay is the better version of Fred, definitely, but every time Fred gets the ball he gives it away – sloppy passes when they’re trying to build attacks."

“He’ll kick it out of play or to the opposition and even when he’s in there to win the ball back as Allan or Doucoure does, Fred doesn’t do that. I don’t see why he’s in that Manchester United team. I’d rather Lingard all day or give Van de Beek a chance. There’s a lot of centre-midfielders that walk into that midfield. John McGinn walks into it that midfield," said the former Villa forward.

Fred has been one of the most utilized Manchester United players this season. The Brazilian has made eight appearances for the Red Devils across the Premier League and the Champions League, ammassing a whopping 594 minutes and recording one goal to his name.

However, the midfielder has been guilty of making cheap errors on multiple occasions. Most recently, in the 1-1 draw with Everton at the weekend, he gave the ball away to Demarai Gray who launched an attack that resulted in Andro Townsend's equalizer.

The Manchester United midfielder has failed to impress in recent games

Manchester United suffering from failure to sign a defensive midfielder?

After luring the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane to Old Trafford during the summer transfer window, Manchester United tried to fill an obvious gap by signing a defensive midfielder.

The Red Devils were linked with a couple of names including Edouardo Camavinga, Renato Sanches, Ruben Neves and Aurelien Tchouameni. However, the Premier League giants failed to secure the transfer of any of their targets and are probably paying the price at the moment.

The defensive midfield spot has been the weak link for Manchester United's team so far this season. The January transfer window affords them the opportunity to rebuild, with players like Declan Rice, Ismael Bennacer and James Garner reportedly on their wishlist.