Michael Carrick has paid tribute to Fred, with the Brazilian midfielder impressing during Manchester United's last two matches against Villarreal and Chelsea.

The 28-year-old has been a key player for the Red Devils this season, making 14 appearances in all competitions, including the full 90 minutes in both of Carrick's two matches in charge.

The caretaker Man United manager was asked about Fred ahead of Thursday's clash with Arsenal and said that he 'really likes' the South American, hailing his attitude and work-rate.

"I really like him. For me, one of the biggest things people don't see is his attitude and his desire to be a team player and he's desperate to put himself out there in the big games," Carrick told reporters.

"He twisted his ankle against Villarreal in the first half, I've seen a lot of players come off but to come out in the second half when it was stiff and swollen and sore, it's not always easy to carry on. But he got through that and bounced into the game and there was no way he was going to miss the next game.

"The mentality is infectious and I'm all for that. He's improved an awful lot, he brings a great energy to the team. He's played a little bit higher up the pitch in the last few games maybe than before because we've tweaked a couple of things for both games and he's done ever so well with that.

"Especially with Cristiano [Ronaldo]'s goal at Villarreal, it epitomises that and he nearly got one the other night when he's intercepted it from [Edouard] Mendy late on and nearly scored. He gives an awful lot to the team, and I like him an awful lot."

Fred has scored five times and registered seven assists in 135 appearances for the Red Devils since arriving from Shakhtar Donetsk in June 2018. body check tags ::