Fred breaks his silence as he reunites with former Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho

But if Fred felt like he had unfinished business with Mourinho, then his prayers were answered when the two former Manchester United men met in Istanbul last month.

And with Fenerbahce determined to climb back to the pinnacle of Turkish football – ten years on from their last Super Lig title – then who better than the trophy winner himself to turn that dream into reality?

Fred reunited with former Manchester United boss

Fener could hardly have come any closer in 2023/24.

Ismail Kartal guided Fred and co to 99 points and just one league defeat, but still ended the campaign without a job and without a league title, with bitter rivals Galatasaray breaking the 100-point barrier.

Now, six years after their time together at Man United ended after just a few short and largely disappointing months, could the Fred/Mourinho partnership be the driving force behind a title success in Turkey?

“I worked with Mourinho at Manchester United. He took me there himself,” says Fred Sporx. “Everyone knows what a good coach he is.

“It’s a very big name. He is someone who always wants to win. We are very happy to work with him. We have a long season ahead of us and we always want to win.”

“We want to be league champions (and) we want to be in the Champions League. Mourinho is someone with that mentality.

“We are working well and trying to move forward with confident steps.”

Mourinho wasted no time in charming the Fenerbahce fans. Greeted by an arrival that would put Alan Shearer’s Tyneside revelation to shame in 1995, the former Chelsea, Inter Milan and Real Madrid boss already has Fener fans dreaming that the glory days are on their way back to the Sukru Sarakoglu Stadium.

Fenerbahce aim for the title with Jose Mourinho

“Training with Mourinho is going well,” adds Fred, who left Man United last summer for £13m. “The training I did with him is very intense. We train for long periods of time, but that’s the way it has to be.

“We will start an important season. We train well. I made a good start. We have to be fit.”

Mourinho recently ruled out a deal to reunite him with former Man United frontman Romelu Lukaku at Fenerbahce. According to The Telegraph, however, the Super Lig runners-up are in active negotiations with Victor Lindelof.

Another player Mourinho brought to Old Trafford for big money.

Fred’s record at Fenerbahce, meanwhile, speaks for itself. Kartal’s side went unbeaten in his 25 league appearances, winning 22, with the midfielder’s impact similar to that of basketball legend Michael Jordan at the Chicago Bulls in the 1990s.

The only frustration is that Fred didn’t show up more often. Had he not missed 13 games through injury and suspension, would the title have gone to the other side of the division in Istanbul?

“Last season was difficult for me,” sighs the Brazilian international. “It was the first time I had so many injuries. It was hard for me.

“It could have been different if I hadn’t had so many injuries, but there’s nothing we can do. We have to keep our heads up. I will come back stronger for the new season. I worked during the holidays and I’m fit.

“I hope I don’t get hurt. I also have a trainer that I work with at home. I hope we all do better this season.”

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