Manchester United midfielder Fred has admitted Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's support is the reason behind his improved form.

The Brazilian struggled to adapt to English football after arriving from Shakhtar Donetsk for £50million last summer, enduring a tough first campaign at Old Trafford.

But, in the absence of Paul Pogba in recent weeks, Fred has been given more game time and repaid Solskjaer's faith with a series of fine displays.

Fred thinks Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's support is behind his improved Manchester United form

Speaking about what is behind his improved form, Fred told The Athletic: 'The trust from the manager is important and I feel I have this.

'I just want to continue doing what I'm doing, playing well and starting the games — but I want to score, too. I came close [against Brighton] and hit the bar but I'll keep working until this happens.

'I'm very happy, firstly because we won but also because we're getting some rhythm and we're doing well in the cups.

'But we needed to do better in the league. We just have to carry on fighting so that we reach the Champions League.

He has started nine of United's last 12 games across all competitions, impressing throughout

'I'm feeling better than I've ever felt since moving to England. All I ever wanted was to play regularly and now that I'm doing that, there's no doubt my confidence is higher and that helps any player.'

Fred was signed by Jose Mourinho but following his sacking struggled for game time under Solskjaer, making just seven Premier League starts between December and the end of the season.

He has become a more influential figure for United in recent weeks though, starting five successive Premier League matches.

His most recent display saw him named man-of-the-match in the comfortable 3-1 win over Brighton.