Ole Gunnar Solskjaer: Fred will be given Manchester United chance

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer says Manchester United midfielder Fred will have the chance to shine.

Fred will be given the opportunity to prove his worth at Manchester United, insisted caretaker manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

A GBP 52 million signing from Shakhtar Donetsk, 25-year-old Brazilian midfielder Fred has only started seven Premier League matches in his first season in Manchester. Fred, whose only start under Solskjaer was against Huddersfield Town on Boxing Day, has not appeared since the FA Cup victory over Reading on January 5.

With Ander Herrera, Nemanja Matic and Juan Mata suffering injuries, Fred could be thrust into the starting XI against Crystal Palace on Wednesday. And Solskjaer told reporters: "[Fred needs to] play well when he gets the chance, keep training, keep working as he does. We have had a midfield three of Herrera, [Paul] Pogba and Matic and they have played really well together.

"It is not like we have been bogged down with too many games. Scott McTominay was the obvious choice against Liverpool because he was an academy kid — we had five academy kids at one point on the pitch. He knows what it means.

"You have to look at the time it needs to settle. You look at Juan [Sebastian Veron] — he is one of the best players that I played with — and it took him time to settle. And I am sure that when given the chance and a run in the team Fred will grab the opportunity. Fred will get his chances, maybe [on Wednesday]."

Fred has scored one goal in 15 matches in all competitions for United this season.