MANCHESTER, England -- Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has said Fred faces a fight to secure a regular place in his Manchester United team but could get a chance to impress at Crystal Palace on Wednesday.
The £47 million Brazilian midfielder, the fourth most expensive signing in United's history, has not started a Premier League game since Boxing Day.
He was overlooked in favour of Scott McTominay and then Andreas Pereira as Solskjaer's side were hit by more injury problems during Sunday's goalless home draw with Liverpool.
Solskjaer suggested he had settled on a midfield combination of Paul Pogba, Ander Herrera and Nemanja Matic, but with Herrera and Matic set to miss the Palace trip through injury -- two of 10 players sidelined -- he hinted that Fred could be given an opportunity.
"He has to play well when he gets a chance, keep training, keep working," the caretaker manager told a news conference on Tuesday.
"We've had a midfield three of Herrera, Pogba and Matic and they've done really well. It's not like we've been really bogged down with too many games. That's why we've kept the three together.
"McTominay was the obvious choice against Liverpool because he's an academy kid. We had five academy kids on the pitch at one point. He knows what it means. Fred will get his chances -- maybe tomorrow [against Palace]."
Fred, who joined from Shakhtar Donetsk, has struggled to adapt to English football and made just 10 league appearances since arriving.
But Solskjaer said: "You look more at the time it takes sometimes to settle.
"You see Seba Veron -- he's one of the best I played with, but it took him time to settle in England. I'm sure that Fred, when he gets the chance, he will grab the opportunity."
Former United defender Gary Neville said there would be "mutiny" in the dressing room if Solskjaer did not get the manager's role full-time, but the 46-year-old said: "We need to keep going, keep progressing, keep getting results, keep getting the crowd behind us because we need that.
"We need to fight now towards the end of the season. Let's just take that [the future of the United job] when it comes. Gary is known for his opinions and comments, so that's his job."