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Fenerbahce midfielder and former Manchester United star Fred has revealed that a phone call from Jose Mourinho ultimately convinced him to snub interest from elsewhere in favour of sealing a move to Old Trafford.
Fred signed for United in 2018 from Shakhtar Donetsk in a deal worth around £47m. Mourinho was United boss at the time and sanctioned a deal for the player.
It’s believed that cross-town rivals City were also very interested in the Brazilian but it’s United who eventually won the race for his services.
Mourinho would go on to be sacked a few months later following a string of poor performances and results but the Portuguese coach and Fred were reunited at Fenerbahce during the summer.
Fred left United in August 2023 as a free agent and signed for the Super Lig giants. Meanwhile, Mourinho took over the reins at Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium in June 2024, embarking upon his 11th managerial role.
Ahead of United’s Europa League clash against Fenerbahce on Thursday, Fred spoke to UEFA.com and discussed his association with Mourinho.
Fred revealed that a simple phone call from the 61-year-old was enough to convince him to commit his future to the Red Devils.
“There is no need to talk about Jose Mourinho’s quality, everyone knows what he has achieved.”
“He is a great manager and I am grateful to him. Mourinho was one of the names that transferred me to Manchester United.”
“When I was playing for Shakhtar Donetsk, he called me and said he wanted me to transfer to Manchester United. After the call from Mourinho, I couldn’t say no.”
“Now I was at Fenerbahçe and he is here, so we are together again.”
Fenerbahce vs. United kicks off at 20:00 BST.
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