Gilberto Silva Says There Is 'No Chance' of Fred Leaving Manchester United

Fred's agent, Gilberto Silva, has admitted the midfielder's lack of game time during his first six months at Manchester United has been "worrying" but added there is "no chance" of the Brazil international leaving the club.

United signed Fred from Shakhtar Donetsk in June, and he has only been a bit-part player at Old Trafford, starting six of United's 17 Premier League games this season.

Following the manager Jose Mourinho's sacking and consequent appointment of caretaker boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, the Brazilian is ready to fight for his place, according to former Arsenal man Silva, per Caio Carrieri in the Telegraph:

"The fact that he is not playing makes him anxious, but what I say to him is that he must keep working hard on a daily basis, he should be patient because the club is going through a delicate moment. 

"Many things have happened to him in six months. A new lifestyle, a different league and a historic club with the grandeur of United that are going under a lot of pressure. Perhaps this pressure impacts on him as well. In spite all of that, he sees everything as a learning process.

"But there is no chance of him leaving United. He has a five-year contract. It is not because the first six months were not good enough that he is willing to leave—or even after one year. Obviously when you don’t play too much it is worrying because you want to show your quality. Although from the outside view it seems there is tension regarding him not playing that much, his work on a daily basis has been good." 

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The first fixture of the Solskjaer era is at Cardiff City on Saturday.

The former United star is likely to receive a rapturous welcome from the Red Devils fans, but the home support at Cardiff City Stadium may be less appreciative after the Norwegian's ill-fated spell at the club back in 2014.

It will be intriguing to see Solskjaer's squad for his opening game.

Most notable will be whether he returns Paul Pogba to the fold after the France international started on the bench for the last three league games of Mourinho's tenure.

Fred, 25, will also be looking to get back in the side, having not started in the English top flight since United faced Bournemouth in early November.

When he has featured, Fred's performances for the Red Devils have been mixed:

But he has shown flashes of his best. The Brazil international made a name for himself at Shakhtar as a hard-working, dynamic central midfielder.

He has not lost the skills that convinced United to spend big on him, and now Mourinho has left the club, he may well get his opportunity to flourish alongside the likes of Pogba and Nemanja Matic in the middle of the park.