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Football

05th Jun 2018

BREAKING: Manchester United sign Fred for £52m

He has completed a £52 million deal from Shakhtar Donetsk

Wayne Farry

Fred is officially a Red

Manchester United have today confirmed the signing of Brazil international Fred on a four-year contract, after the completion of a medical.

The 25-year-old, whose full name is Frederico Rodrigues de Paula Santos, has joined the club from Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk for a fee believed to be £52 million.

The eight-time capped Brazilian, who was a substitute during his country’s victory against Croatia at Anfield over the weekend, joined Shakhtar in 2013 from Brazil Serie A side Internacional, becoming a crucial player for the Ukrainian giants in that time.

He was at the centre of controversy in 2015 after testing positive for the the diuretic hydrochlorothiazide during the Copa America in Chile, and was banned for a year as a result.

In recent years he has  worked his way into the Brazil international set up and was last month named in manager Tite’s 23-man squad for this summer’s World Cup in Russia.

His signing represents Jose Mourinho’s first foray into the transfer market this summer ahead of a season in which the Portuguese coach will be expected to challenge rivals Manchester City domestically.

The Old Trafford finished second placed in the Premier League last season, but were a massive 19 points behind Pep Guardiola’s side in the final league places.