Manchester United caretaker boss Michael Carrick has hailed the attitude of Fred ahead of their clash at Chelsea.

Fred appeared to badly twist his ankle during the 2-0 win at Champions League opponents Villarreal that proved enough to seal top spot in Group F, with a game against Young Boys still to come.

He showed his determination and willingness to play through the pain barrier by not only completing the full 90 minutes at the Estadio de la Ceramica by being involved in the build-up to both goals, scored by Cristiano Ronaldo and Jadon Sancho.

"It doesn't go unnoticed to us," Carrick told MUTV. "I think he brings such an energy and such a drive and such a desire when he plays and when he trains.

"Even the other night there, he took a bad twist of the ankle in the first half and stayed on through half-time. Normally, after half-time, those type of things, when you start running again, they stiffen up a little bit but he gets through the game and actually has a major part in both our goals.

"It's more his mentality and his attitude," continued Carrick. "And how he is as a person, as much as the footballer, which I greatly admire. He's always there, he always puts himself up there ready for the challenge and he loves the big games and there's a lot to admire about that."