When Manchester United confirmed the appointment of Michael Carrick on a permanent basis, it was not met with universal approval.

Carrick had done a remarkable job to finish third in the Premier League last term after the mess Ruben Amorim left behind but a niggling thought was always there; what if he gets the job and it's an Ole situation all over again?

Solskjaer was handed the reins in similar circumstances. An impressive job as caretaker saw him given the gig full-time but it all ended in tears, quite literally, as the Norwegian said farewell to Old Trafford with a tear in his eye.

While it remains to be seen how Carrick's United journey ends, there are more similarities than just the situation they find themselves in.

Indeed, it would appear as though the former midfield has come across his answer to Fred, a player who featured 121 times under Solskjaer.

What went wrong for Fred at Man Utd

In the summer of June 2018, Man United signed Fred to the tune of £52m. It speaks volumes about how poor that signing was that even in the crazy summer of spending this year, Youri Tielemans (£35m) and Andrey Santos (£48m) cost less.

It must be said that Fred's move was not a total disaster. During his time in England, he played 213 times for United. He was a regular fixture in the team.

Yet, there were problems. As Bruno Fernandes outlined in February 2022, "Fred is a player that works very hard and doesn’t get a lot of praise."

Sure, he was hard-worker, he had a dogged and determined attitude that added plenty to the United midfield.

Yet, he was inconsistent, just like plenty at Old Trafford during that era in the club's history. Audible groans were regularly heard from the crowd when he misplaced a pass or gave away possession.

Paul Scholes once criticised the Brazilian for "lacking fight" while Roy Keane went even further, suggesting he was "sloppy and lazy". That sums it up pretty perfectly really.

At times, however, there were positives. He could drive forward with purpose, he could evade the press and there was the rare moment of magic. The former Shakhtar man scored a beauty from the edge of the area against Crystal Palace for the first goal of the Ralf Rangnick era while there that was lovely precise side-footed finish against Spurs in 2022.

He also scored a lovely flicked goal against Reading in an FA Cup tie in January 2023 and then scored that equaliser against Barcelona in the Europa League just a month later. There were good moments, it just never came together too frequently.

Man Utd's modern-day Fred has emerged

This summer was always going to be about rebuilding the midfield for United. The likes of Elliot Anderson and Mateus Fernandes were targeted but in the end, the Red Devils ended up with Carlos Baleba, Tielemans and Santos. It's not bad business.

That said, it's not in midfield where United's modern-day Fred has emerged, it's on the left-hand side of the pitch.

He goes by the name of Patrick Dorgu and like Fred, he's a rather polarising figure in these parts. While the Dane was not a huge signing - he cost just £25m in comparison - his time at United has been rather topsy-turvy.

Dorgu was initially signed to provide competition for Luke Shaw at left-back but he hasn't actually been seen in that position very often, particularly under Carrick's stewardship.

Last season, the 21-year-old featured on just four occasions in that role. Most of his football came further forward and, to his credit, he did make an impact, albeit sporadically.

Like Fred, he was capable of the spectacular. That rasping strike against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium is still a goal that lives long in the memory. He was brilliant against Manchester City in the derby too, bursting a gut to get on the end of a cross to put his side 2-0 up.

Those goals came in Carrick's first two games in charge. Immediately, the Denmark international had made an impact under the new boss.

Yet, since then, he has struggled. The former Lecce star missed the next ten games due to a hamstring injury before returning on the final day, scoring and assisting against Brighton.

2026/27 has been rather indifferent, however, and shows the limitations of his game, not just technically but tactically too. Like Fred, he's been that inconsistent figure who fans struggle to get behind.

Against Everton on Sunday, he replaced Marcus Rashford on the left with around 20 minutes to go but did not make a positive impact, failing to create a chance or have a shot. He also completed just 63% of his passes. United need an outlet, they needed security in possession but they did not get that.

Like Fred, it was a really sloppy performance. A penny for the thoughts of Keane and Scholes after this one. Surely it is time to forget about playing him in an advanced position?