Ole Gunnar Solskjaer: Fred Will Take Injured Paul Pogba's Place 'For a While'

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has said midfielder Fred can help fill the void left by the injured Paul Pogba.

Pogba's frustrating start to the 2019-20 season is set to continue, with the latest reports indicating the Frenchman will be on the sidelines until December because of further fitness issues.

With options light in central midfield, Solskjaer has turned to Fred in recent weeks, and on Sunday he was impressive in the team's 3-1 win over Norwich City in the Premier League. Speaking about the Brazilian, Solskjaer said he can help the team get by without Pogba, per Rob Dawson of ESPN FC:

"Fred will probably take Paul's position for a while now. He's been brilliant for us.

"There is no use talking about who is not going to be here for a long, long time, because he is not going to come on the pitch and help us until he is fit. Paul's been brilliant, and he is a creative midfielder that we need, but then it is up to the others to step up."

United appeared to have secured a coup in the summer of 2018 when they signed Fred from Shakhtar Donetsk. Manchester City were also strongly linked with the midfielder, who shone for the Ukrainian giants in the UEFA Champions League.

However, Fred has struggled to nail down a place in the side, as he made just 17 appearances for the Red Devils in the Premier League last term.

Solskjaer will at least be pleased with the manner in which he's played this season, though. James Ducker of the Daily Telegraph was impressed with Fred at Carrow Road:

Per Samuel Luckhurst of the Manchester Evening News, the 26-year-old made an important tackle when Norwich sought to launch a late comeback:

As much as Fred has made a couple of positive steps forward, he has a lot of work to do before his transfer to United can even be considered a success. During his time at Shakhtar, he would frequently shuttle forward and carve out chances with his left foot. At United, those moments of ingenuity have been scarce.

Speaking on Sky Sports on Sunday, former United skipper Roy Keane was ruthless in his assessment:

As a positive at least, Fred has looked comfortable over the last three games, two wins and a draw.