“He kicks the ball out or to the opposition” – Gabriel Agbonlahor says he can’t see why Manchester United star plays regularly

Former Aston Villa striker Gabriel Agbonlahor has questioned Fred's inclusion in Manchester United's starting XI.

Speaking on TalkSPORT (via Metro), Agbonlahor criticized the Brazilian for making too many errors in Manchester United's midfield. He believes someone like Jesse Lingard could do a better job for the Red Devils.

Agbonlahor said:

"McTominay is a better version of Fred, just when Fred gets on the ball, he gives the ball away, sloppy passes. He kicks the ball out or to the opposition. Even when he’s in there to win the ball back like Allan and [Abdoulaye] Doucoure do, Fred just doesn’t do it."

"I just don’t see why he’s in that Man Utd team, I’d rather Lingard in there all day, give van de Beek a chance. There’s a lot of central midfielders that walk into that Manchester United team. John McGinn gets in that team."

Fred was directly responsible for Everton's equalizer in their 1-1 draw against Manchester United at Old Trafford over the weekend. He was easily dispossessed by Demarai Gray before the Everton winger found Abdoulaye Doucoure, who fed the ball to Andros Townsend to score past David de Gea.

Despite a string of poor performances this term, Fred continues to feature in Manchester United's starting XI. He has played eight times across all competitions so far this season.

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Manchester United are in dire need of a new central midfielder

Despite having one of the best transfer windows in recent history, Manchester United still lack a quality central midfielder in their squad. Due to the lack of midfield options, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been forced to play the likes of Fred and Nemanja Matic in the middle of the park.

This season has proved why Manchester United are in desperate need of a proper defensive midfielder who can link their attack with their defense.

Numerous midfielders have been linked with a move to Old Trafford in the upcoming transfer window. These include the likes of Nordi Mukiele, Kalvin Phillips and Declan Rice. However, Manchester United will need to fork out a large amount of money to land their transfer target.

Manchester United have had a poor run of form in recent weeks. The Red Devils have lost games against the likes of BSC Young Boys, West Ham United and Aston Villa. These losses have turned a few United fans against Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and his selection policy.