Manchester United have little time to dwell on Sunday's grim defeat away to top-four rivals Newcastle United, with the Red Devils back in Premier League action against Brentford at Old Trafford later today.
The Carabao Cup winners go into tonight's encounter having failed to win any of their last three top-flight games, with a place in the top-four come the end of the season no longer looking like a guarantee for Erik ten Hag's men.
It does appear that United are currently suffering in the absence of influential midfielder, Casemiro, with talkSPORT's Anil Kandola stating that they look like an "average side" without the Brazilian's "presence" at the base of the midfield.
As Ten Hag himself admitted in his pre-match press conference ahead of the visit of the Bees, "games will be decided always in the midfield", with it looking as if the top-four hopefuls have been losing that battle in the centre of the park of late, having been simply "overrun" against the Magpies, according to The Mirror's Nathan Ridley.
As the defeat to Eddie Howe's men showed, the triumvirate of Scott McTominay, Marcel Sabitzer and Bruno Fernandes was deeply ineffective, with United having "barely had a midfield" while using that same trio against Fulham prior to the international break, according to The Athletic's Adam Crafton.
Those woes should ensure that the former Ajax boss makes a notable alteration against the west London outfit this evening, with it perhaps an ideal time for Fred to be brought back into the fold.
Will Fred start against Brentford?
The return of the former Shakhtar Donetsk man could provide the fresh injection of energy that Ten Hag and co have been craving, with the 30-year-old having only made two late cameo appearances in the last two league games.
While the Brazilian can be a polarising figure at times – having been branded "not good enough" by club legend Roy Keane – he does appear to have a lot to offer to the team, with the experienced ace a real asset due to his ball-winning prowess, as he ranks in the top 3% in Europe's top five leagues among those in his position for tackles made.
The £120k-per-week man could also help to terrorise Thomas Frank's man due to his relentless and pest-like quality in the centre of the park, with the diminutive ace having previously been lauded by his manager for playing like a "mosquito" in the win over Barcelona back in February.
Not just a real workhorse off the ball, however, Fred could also be something of a secret weapon against the Bees due to his desire to impact proceedings in the final third, showcased by the fact that he ranks in the top 18% for touches in the attacking penalty area.
That ability to arrive late in the box has seen the 5 foot 7 machine rack up a respectable haul of six goals and five assists in all competitions this season, with that a far superior record to that of McTominay (two goals, one assist), for instance.
With the latter man having been 'absent for large spells of the game' against the Tynesiders – as per GOAL's Peter McVitie – it could be time for the Scotland international to drop out of the side, with Fred taking his place.