Fred's journey has not been easy at Manchester United. 

For a long time, the Brazilian has been synonymous with the club's chaotic and often ill-thought-out transfer strategy.

A quick Google of 'worst United signings post-Ferguson' and lo and behold, his name will always be near the top of any list. 

Yet suddenly, the pendulum has begun to swing back in his favour over the last few months. 

It does not take much to stand out in what has largely been an abject midfield under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, but give Fred his dues. 

A man who once played like an unfortunate merging of the DNA of Eric Djemba-Djemba and Kleberson now stands out as a testament to persistence and his willingness to turn his Old Trafford career around. 

To some, it may come across as rich to hear the £52 million man lamenting United's problems, of which he had previously been the epitome. 

However, at the same time, United fans have been crying out for someone in the dressing room to take the bull by the horns and demonstrate some leadership. 

It's hoped new signing Bruno Fernandes, who so often showed his volatile side at Sporting Lisbon, will be the antidote to that lacklustre climate but in the meantime, Fred has not held back when talking to De Sola on Youtube, as quoted in the Daily Mail. 

Fred speaks out 

"We are lacking a lot right now," he said. 

"First of all we need to figure out things on the pitch, we are lacking creativity, especially in midfield.

"We also need to improve as a group, our group lacks the 'sticking together' mentality’, we have lots of problems.

"There are a lot of discussion, every group has this sort of problem, but ours has this.

"Vanity is also an issue and we need to stop this and just run on the pitch.

"We need to stick a goal inside our minds, focus on it and go forward. We need to be on the same page and today some players have different objectives, there are players that just want to solve problems alone and this is wrong."

Not naming names? The 26-year-old doesn't need to. Most United fans will draw their own conclusions as to who his comments are aimed at. 

The arrivals of Fernandes and striker Odion Ighalo may - though let's not get too carried away - improve their creativity. 

The major concern will be Fred's acknowledgement of the weak mentality in the United squad right now. 

Worst of all, their failure to "stick together", and the suggestion that different players are pulling in different directions, will come as a surprise to nobody.