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Former Manchester United midfielder Fred scored his first hat-trick of his career in a 5-0 rout for Fenerbahce against Rizespor.
The Brazilian played 213 times for the Red Devils between 2018 and 2023, winning the Carabao Cup.
Fred was famously part of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s controversial midfield pairing dubbed “McFred”, playing alongside Scott McTominay, which was not always judged particularly positively by United fans to say the least.
Nonetheless, the player developed a bit of a cult following despite his glaring weaknesses on the ball, as he always gave 100% on the pitch and pressed relentlessly out of possession.
He was sold to the Turkish giants last summer and was joined by the manager who brought him to Old Trafford in Istanbul earlier in the window, Jose Mourinho.
Fans across the globe were shocked when on Sunday night they saw newsflashes on their devices that the 31 year old had scored a trio of goals in the one game, as he is generally better known for his defensive play and pressing the opposition rather than his eye for a goal.
He was given an enormous score of 9.2 on Sofascore for his efforts and also completing 81% of his passes and making two interceptions.
The first strike was a long range effort that was too hot to handle for the Rizespor keeper and the second and third showed strong predatory instinct that few knew were a part of his game, as he finished off chances inside the penalty area.
To be fair to the Brazilian, despite only scoring 14 goals in a United shirt, 10 did arrive in his final two seasons at the club, including a vital equaliser against FC Barcelona in the Europa League victory in 2023.
He also scored from a tight angle against Leeds United in 2022 in a 4-2 win for the Red Devils at Elland Road.
The Brazil international scored three goals last season for the Turkish side and is well on his way to comfortably beating that tally this time around.
His manager, Jose Mourinho, certainly enjoyed the moment as he was seen laughing and joking with the midfielder after he was subbed off late in the second half.
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2024-08-27 10:30:24
