Midfielder Frederico Rodrigues Santos ‘Fred’, an English Manchester United player, returned to the Brazilian team, which is preparing for its next two games for the qualifying rounds of the Qatar 2022 World Cup, with Ecuador and Paraguay, after almost three years of absence.
“I am very happy to be back to the Brazilian team,” said Fred, 28, in a statement he granted when he arrived at the Comary Farm.
The midfielder was not called up for the national team since the 2018 World Cup in Russia, in which he did not play a game because he suffered an injury shortly before the start of the competition.
Fred admitted that his good time with Manchester United, a club with which he played 41 games as a starter in the last season, allowed him to regain the confidence of Tite, the Brazilian coach, adding that his return to Canarinha was one of the goals that it had been imposed for this year.
The midfielder assured that he had waited a long time for an opportunity to return to Canarinha and that he considers that the current moment is ideal due to the proximity of the America’s Cup, which will be held in June and July in Argentina, and the Qatar World Cup itself. .
Fred, who appeared in 155 games as a player for Ukrainian Shakhtar Donetsk before being signed by Manchester United, played in the 2015 Copa America with the Brazilian team.
Although the majority of those summoned by Brazil for the matches with Ecuador and Paraguay concentrated on Thursday, Fred only arrived at the Comary Farm today because on Wednesday he played in Poland the final of the Europa League, won by the Spanish Villarreal.
With the arrival of Fred, Tite already has 18 of the 23 summoned in the Brazilian concentration.
Brazil, leaders of the South American qualifiers with 12 points, will host Ecuador on June 4 at the Beira-Rio stadium in Porto Alegre and four days later they will visit Paraguay in Asunción. EFE (HN)