Man Utd's Fred hails new midfield partnership with Casemiro

Bruno Fernandes and Fred scored as United clinched victory after dominating the game from start to finish.

The midweek win was the third straight game in which Fred and Casemiro played alongside each other, with coach Erik ten Hag having previously preferred a midfield pairing of Scott McTominay and Christian Eriksen.

"I'm very happy playing next to Casemiro. He's a big player for the Brazilian team, we've already played a long time together in that team," Fred told the National in an interview published on Thursday.

"It's very important being side-by-side with him and playing with him improves my football. [Casemiro and McTominay] are both very important. Everybody knows [Casemiro's] qualities and how important he is for the team, and Scott is also a great player."

United, who are fifth in the league, travel to fourth-placed Chelsea on Saturday.