Jose Mourinho was reportedly against Manchester United signing Brazilian midfielder Fred in the summer of 2018.
The 26-year-old was strongly linked with a move to Manchester City before arriving at Old Trafford in a £52m deal from Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk.
The South American has struggled to make his mark for the Red Devils, however, scoring just once in 21 Premier League appearances since a switch to England.
According to The Athletic, Mourinho had reservations over a move for Fred, but the Portuguese decided not to block the deal from going through as he feared that another midfielder would not arrive.
Fred was not available for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in the early stages of the 2019-20 campaign, but the nine-time Brazil international has featured in the club's last four league matches.
The midfielder has also played the full 90 minutes in both of the team's Europa League matches this season against Astana and AZ.
