Manchester United midfielder Fred has admitted his first season in the English topflight was below par, but assured fans they’ll see improvements next season. Fred was brought in by former manager Jose Mourinho for a reported fee of £52m but has failed to justify the hefty price tag as United finished outside the champions league places.

The Brazilian international played just 24 matches in all competitions for the Red Devils, managing just a single goal. Signed from Shakhtar Donetsk, Fred’s season was marred with inconsistencies and as a result, found himself down the pecking order.

However, the Brazil international believes next season will be better. Fred told the club’s official website: “Last season, my first one here, was difficult, but I think I ended the season off okay, and I hope next season will be really good for me and a lot better for Manchester United, and I am excited to be a part of that.

“The English league is difficult and has lots of big clubs but I think the derbies are the best games to play so, when we see the fixture list, we look at those games first. “It’s hard to pick out a single team, because there are so many big games here in the Premier League, obviously there are the top teams like Liverpool, City, Chelsea, I think those big games, the ‘big six’ are always good. We always look forward to them, we all want to be on the pitch and to win them.”

Fred was by no means the only United player to fall short of expectations in 2018-19. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is having to oversee another rebuilding project as a result. The hope is that a return to form will be enjoyed in 2019-20, with Fred confident that the Red Devils will be more competitive as a collective.

He said: “We have a few things to improve; we were not happy with how last season finished. “Unfortunately we couldn’t go a little further in the Champions League and in the other cups, and we didn’t do as well as we wanted in the league, so I think there are things we need to improve.

“As a team, we will discuss what went wrong so that we can have a better season and challenge for trophies. That’s what we all, and the fans, want the most!”Fred added: “I want to say that next season we will be better.

“We will be looking to challenge for trophies. “We are Manchester United and we have to be ready to battle for every trophy, and I’m sure that we will have a successful season with the fans’ fantastic support.”