Fred's sideways preference is stopping Manchester United moving forward

It was a pretty dismal display all round as Manchester United scraped their way past West Ham with a 1-0 win after extra-time in the FA Cup on Tuesday night.

The Reds struggled to create many clear cut chances throughout the 120 minutes of play, but it was a well hit strike from Scott McTominay in the 97th minute that was the difference between the two sides.

Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer opted for a strong team in the sixth round with David De Gea, Bruno Fernandes, Edinson Cavani and Luke Shaw the only regular starters who weren't in from the start.

That meant that United lined up with a midfield two of Nemanja Matic and Fred, with Donny van de Beek ahead of them in the number ten role. On paper it seemed like overkill from a defensive viewpoint, and as the game played out that proved to be the case.

It was a passive midfield as the game went on, with United's central options opting for safe passes rather than looking to take the game to West Ham.

The main offender on the night was Brazilian Fred, who at one point in the first half played nine consecutive passes backwards or sideways. It's become a common occurrence for the former Shakhtar man, who's role in the midfield is a questionable one.

When United are in a game where they set up to not have the ball, his energy to win it back is a much needed tool that Solskjaer uses to his advantage. His passing often lets him down, but he seems happy to pass the ball on to the more talented ball players in the team.

However, in games like the FA Cup tie on Tuesday night, it's like playing with ten men. He struggles to break lines with passes or dribbling and instead prefers to just shift the ball side to side, which doesn't help to do anything other than move the defence across by a couple of yards at a time.

There's a role in the team for that type of midfielder, but because of the way he chooses to press teams he isn't capable of playing in that role. Instead of cutting passing lanes and defending the spaces, he tends to charge head first like a bull in a china shop.

What tends to happen in those instances is that the opposition completely bypass him and he ends up out of position with United facing a counter-attacking threat. Some more discipline to his game would be ideal in these scenarios, but the best option is to just not play him when United are going to have the ball.

United are in desperate need of a new defensive midfielder in the next transfer window and it's Fred whose role is most likely on the chopping block. Matic remains the best defensive midfielder in the squad despite his age, while Solskjaer has hinted at a slightly more attacking role for McTominay going forward due to his goal threat.

He doesn't get in any rival's team, and Manchester City are likely counting their lucky stars that United stepped in and splashed £52m on Fred.

It's frustrating to watch the 27-year-old try to play football more often than not and United fans will be split on his importance to the team. The fact it's so split should be evidence enough that his quality isn't good enough in the long-term, though.

Considering where Manchester United are aiming to return to in the football hierarchy, they can't afford passengers in their side, and that's exactly what he is.