Fred criticises ‘short-term’ Man Utd – but is he right?

Robin Bairner

23 Feb 2022 03:07 CST
3 min read

Manchester United midfielder Fred has criticised the club’s focus on “short-term goals” and says there is a lack of broad oversight to help them win trophies in the long term.

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The Red Devils appear set to go another campaign without a trophy, having been eliminated from the EFL Cup and the FA Cup, and lying well off the pace in the Premier League.

The Champions League represents one last chance for Man Utd to gain silverware, with Fred and his team-mates eyeing a last-16 first-leg clash against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday.

Now the Brazil international has questioned the club’s decision to appoint Ralf Rangnick as an interim boss following the sacking of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in the autumn.

“It’s a bit strange. I know in football it's important to get good results as soon as possible, but it's also important to have a long-term plan,” Fred said.

“I think it's a little bit bad for us not to have one, at the moment it's all about the short-term goals. We don't know how it's going to be after the end of this season.”

Man Utd might argue that taking their time over appointing a new manager is worth taking time over precisely because it allows the club to formulate a longer-term approach, especially a Rangnick is set for a two-year stint in a sporting director role.

Fred should redirect his frustration

Indeed, on the field, there is greater evidence of short-termism with the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo in the summer from Juventus.

Man Utd’s primary motive for signing the veteran forward seem to stem from commercial reasons and a desire to stop Manchester City from signing him.

At 37 years old, though, there remain questions over his longevity, especially since he has recently endured a goal drought that is his worst since 2009. Moreover, the Portuguese great arrived after a stint in Turin in which he was accused of performing well at the expense of the team.

Worse, Ronaldo’s presence in the locker room appears to have been a divisive one, with rumours of cliques forming both for and against him.

Fred is right that Man Utd need to take a longer-term approach in terms of their thinking, but perhaps he needs to redirect some of that frustration.