Manchester United ended their 2019 on a high, grinding out a 2-0 win over Burnley to move one point closer to the fourth spot in the Premier League.
Not only did the Red Devils record their first clean-sheet in over three months by frustrating Sean Dyche’s side, but they controlled most of the possession and rarely looked threatened by the late pressure piled on.
Fred continue his impressive work in midfield, working hard to get things started from his position, being diligent in distributing possession and forming a solid partnership with Nemanja Matic.
His performance sought some kind words from his manager as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer expressed his delight at how much he’s grown in the last few months.
The Norwegian said, “I thought Nemanja Matic and Fred played really well. I don’t think many of you would have said three or four months ago that Fred would be one of the best players in a tough game at Burnley.”
Solskjaer also hailed his impressive performance in difficult conditions and how his side dealt well with their opponents physical threat.
He explained, “It was a very good performance and I am very happy with the attitude. Coming here with Barnes and Woods up front, you are in for a tough fight and we handled it well.’’
The Norwegian also spoke to BT Sport pundit Paul Scholes about the Brazilian midfielder’s impact later on, linking his performance with that off the United legend.
“He’s developed a lot, he’s confident and he’s a tenacious little midfielder, like you to be fair! A little bit quicker off the ground maybe.”
The United boss was also happy with his side keeping their first league clean-sheet in almost three months, praising his side for restricting Burnley’s efficiency, leading to David De Gea only having a single save to make.
He expressed, “That made it a great night, particularly for David (de Gea), though he had only one save to make which is a testament to the performance we put in.”
Solskjaer insisted that his side are only getting better after losing only once in December, and hopes that his side can continue this pattern through the next two months to challenge for the UEFA Champions League spot.
He explained, “We are getting better. We had too many draws early on but we’ve only lost once a month which is not bad for a team that is learning. Hopefully, we can go two months without losing. This was a big step forward.’
United are back on the road on New Year’s day when they travel to face Arsenal in what will be a big challenge to kick off 2020 for the Red Devils.
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