Jose Mourinho reportedly did not want to sign Fred while Manchester United boss - but opted not to veto the £52million transfer because he was fearful he would not land another midfielder.
The 26-year-old has struggled to find his feet at Old Trafford since his big-money move from Shakhtar Donetsk in the summer of 2018.
Mourinho was in the Red Devils hotseat at the time and has copped his fair share of flak over the signing.
But, according to The Athletic, Mourinho had reservations over taking Fred to Old Trafford before the signing was complete.
The former Chelsea boss was allegedly worried that, by putting a stop to the transfer, he would be left light in the middle of the park should the United hierarchy opt not to give him the backing to sign another player.
Fred played only once in the final six games of Mourinho's tenure and has started on just eight occasions under current boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
But despite failing to hold down a regular spot, Fred has been back to eventually come good by Solskjaer.
He said: "Well, I think you’re not surprised when a player who has played in Ukraine finds it a little bit hard in the beginning.
"But we know the talent is there.
"We’ve seen, towards the end of [last] season, what Fred can give us: the PSG game, the Arsenal and Man City games.
"And, of course, he’s one that we hope is going to take another step this season."
