On the day we celebrate fathers in the UK (Sunday 21 June) it's perhaps appropriate that the Brazilian mentioned a paternal influence, when asked who had most inspired his rise in professional football.
The 27-year-old, who joined United in the summer of 2018 from Shakhtar Donetsk, has become an important influence on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's team during 2019/20, but his story began years ago, back in Belo Horizonte, with a simple dream and a grandfather that was a pillar of strength.
“He's someone that always helped me,”
explained Fred.
“He always took me to the football academy when I was a child.