Fred: We need our cup form in the league

Brazilian midfielder Fred wants Manchester United to respond to last weekend’s defeat at Bournemouth when hosting Brighton and Hove Albion in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon.

The 1-0 reverse at the Vitality Stadium ended the Reds’ run of three consecutive wins in all competitions and means we go into this weekend’s match in 10th position, two points behind the Seagulls.

“We dropped important points and we can’t be doing this at this stage of the season,” said Fred, in an interview for Sunday's United Review.

“We need these three points [against Brighton]. We’ll get on the pitch, do our best, go after the win and I’m sure that playing in front of our fans will be a great help.”

The visitors come to Old Trafford having won three of their last four games in the Premier League, a run which includes impressive home victories against Tottenham Hotspur and Everton.

With Brighton's new manager for this season, Graham Potter, instilling a more attacking style of play in his side, Fred is expecting the Seagulls to provide a tough test, which he believes United can overcome if we perform to the best of our abilities.

“They’re a good team, but all games in the Premier League are difficult. We saw this in the last game against Bournemouth, it was a very difficult game for us,” the 26-year-old added.

“Against Brighton it’ll be no different, it’ll be a tough game, but we’re Manchester United. We always play to win, to leave with three points.

“They’re a difficult team to play against. When I arrived here, I played against Brighton [in the 3-2 defeat at the Amex Stadium in August 2018].

“They are a team with a lot of strength. It’ll be a tough game but we need to play the ball on the floor. They’ve also been playing well so it’ll be a good game and I hope we come away with the win.”

Despite not featuring this season until the 1-0 win over Leicester City in September, Fred has now started seven of United’s last eight games, helping us to secure progress to the UEFA Europa League knockout stages and the Carabao Cup quarter-final.

The former Shakhtar Donetsk man has his eye on further cup success, but also identifies the need for United to be more consistent in the Premier League, starting on Sunday.

“Yes, the cups are important, but so is the league. Whatever game we’re playing in, we go on the pitch to do our best and, of course, we’re always looking at the league table.

“We’re Manchester United, we want to be around the top of the table, we want to be fighting for a Champions League place. So we’re not happy with the position we’re in, but we’ll look to improve, I’m sure of this. We’ll do our best so that we can get into the top positions.”