Manchester United star Fred has rubbished reports that a number of players – including himself – are unhappy at Old Trafford, describing the rumours ‘fake news’.
United have endured a tough season despite being tipped as title challengers before the campaign started, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer sacked at the end of November and interim manager Ralf Rangnick failing to ignite a turnaround in fortunes.
After losing to Wolves, the Red devils remain in seventh position in the Premier League table and their disappointing form prompted series of stories depicting a very unhappy camp.
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According to the Daily Mail, up to 17 players are fed up with either with the state of the club or their own lack of playing time, with as many as 11 players looking to leave.
Many of those are well known, with players like Paul Pogba and Jesse Lingard set to leave when their contracts expire in the summer, while Rangnick previously revealed that Anthony Martial had also asked to leave this month.
But Fred was also mentioned in the report as a player who was not content at United, with the Brazilian weighing up his options as he nears the last year of his contract – though the club can trigger an extension.
Fred, however, has slammed the reports and says he is ‘very happy’ at United and has never expressed a desire to leave, while he also defended his teammates and says everyone is pulling together.
‘Over the past few days I have read several fake news [articles] involving my name and other MUFC athletes,’ he wrote on social media on Friday afternoon.
‘I’m not in the habit of answering controversial stuff publicly, but this time I will have to. ‘I just want to say that I am very happy here and I have never expressed any dissatisfaction and the possibility of leaving the club.
‘Don’t get misled by fake news. We will continue to work with great dedication to pursue our goals.’
Speaking at a press conference on Friday before facing Aston Villa on Monday, Rangnick confirmed some players had asked to leave, saying: ‘We have players with contracts expiring in the summer. We also have one or two more people who want to leave and are under contract.
‘It’s about the players dealing with that in a professional way, showing up in training, showing up, getting a chance to play. If this is not the case, the player, club, and agents need to discuss the situation. I cannot say to anyone else. I will address that to the players directly.’
