Ex-Manchester United star Fred provided a stinging evaluation of his time working under former boss Erik ten Hag.
The Brazilian, who now plays back in his homeland with Atletico Mineiro, featured under the Dutch manager during the 2022/23 campaign.
Ten Hag’s stock was high upon his arrival at Old Trafford after leading his Ajax golden generation to within minutes of qualifying for the Champions League final.
He replaced legendary figure Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in the Old Trafford dugout with club chiefs opting for a true tactician.
Although Fred concedes that Ten Hag was a tactical mastermind, his conduct with the squad left a lot to be desired.
Fred’s critique of Ten Hag
“He argued with everyone. He argued with me, with Cristiano [Ronaldo], with Casemiro, with [Marcus] Rashford,” Fred explained on the Charla podcast.
“He wouldn’t put me in to play, sometimes it got stressful.”
Fred also claimed that ‘only his Dutch players played’.
The 33-year-old continued: “(He was) a clique-ridden coach but tactically, one of the best I’ve ever worked with.
“He wanted the team to run, but Cristiano (was already) older. He took Cristiano out (of the starting line-up), and then there was a falling out.”
That led to one of football’s biggest stories in recent memory when Ronaldo announced his intention to leave Manchester United after the 2022 World Cup.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner went on to give a bombshell interview to Piers Morgan criticising elements of the club while also hitting out at Ten Hag.
Ronaldo subsequently secured a money-spinning switch to Al Nassr, paving the way for a surge of players to make the switch to the Saudi Pro League.
Fred saw out his final season at Old Trafford by lifting the Carabao Cup under the tutelage of Ten Hag before signing for Turkish giants Fenerbahce.
Meanwhile, the Dutch coach struggled in his second season at Old Trafford, finishing ninth in the table and recording the club’s lowest points total in Premier League history at the time (60).
However, he helped salvage United’s season with a heroic FA Cup final win over Manchester City to secure European football.
An underwhelming start to the 2024/25 campaign saw new minority owner Jim Ratcliffe wield the axe in late October.
He was replaced by Ruben Amorim four days later but the Portuguese boss lasted just 14 months in the job.
Michael Carrick filled in for Amorim on a temporary basis and was handed the reins permanently after leading the Red Devils back to the Champions League.