Manchester United v Crystal Palace
Fred has found a supporter in the Liverpool boss (Picture: Getty Images)

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has come to the defence of Manchester United midfielder Fred, describing the under-fire Brazilian as a really good player.

The two Premier League giants meet on Monday night as they both hope to improve on disappointing starts to their campaigns.

The Reds have started with two draws and the Red Devils have begun with two defeats, meaning Erik ten Hag’s go into the clash with Liverpool at Old Trafford bottom of the table.

Fred has not been a popular player among United fans since his arrival from Shakhtar Donetsk in 2018 and continues to get a lot of criticism after starting in both losses to Brighton and Brentford.

Klopp has heard the criticism, specifically noting that talkSPORT pundit Gabriel Agbonlahor does not rate the Brazilian, but disagrees with those who have talked down the 29-year-old.

In fact, the German has a lot of praise for the entire United midfield, as he gets ready to face them at Old Trafford.

Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Klopp said: ‘Football quality in midfield, whoever lines up: [Christian] Eriksen, [Bruno] Fernandes, Donny van de Beek, Fred, who Gabby doesn’t like but I think is a really good player, and [Scott] McTominay, there’s real quality there.

‘It’s about how we deal with that. Two games they’ve played in the league, I saw them both and if we have to try to figure out if he will change, what he will change, and if we have no idea then we have to try to learn it in the game.’

Klopp also described the Red Devil’s front line as possessing ‘ridiculous’ quality, as he appeared to confirm that Anthony Martial is expected to play on Monday, despite the Frenchman missing the first two games through injury.

‘The quality up front of United is ridiculous,’ said Klopp. ‘I’ve heard Martial can play probably, he’s trained again and can play. He played against us [in pre-season], another boy with technique and speed.’

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