Former Man Utd star Fred names least professional ex-teammate - 'I don't need to run'

· Mirror

Former Manchester United star Fred has played alongside a number of former Premier League stars since leaving Old Trafford but some have failed to hit the heights expected of them

Ex-Manchester United star Fred has claimed that former Aston Villa star John Duran REFUSED to train because he was already rich. The Colombian enjoyed a standout spell for Villa after joining from Chicago Fire.

He scored 20 goals in 78 appearances ahead of a big-money switch to Saudi side Al-Nassr. Duran has struggled to settle since, having had spells on loan with Fenerbahce, Zenit Saint Petersburg and Benfica.

He played alongside former United star Fred during his time in Turkey, and the Brazilian has now revealed his lax approach when it came to training.

Speaking on the Charla podcast, he said: “Jhon Duran didn’t really care about anything. ‘Come on Duran, let’s train, let’s run a bit over there,’ I’d say.

> “‘Bro, I’m already rich. I don’t need to run,’ he’d say, then he’d go to the medical department and slack off.”

He added: “When [Duran] went to Zenit, I said, ‘Ooo, now you’re gonna make even more money.’

> “‘Bro, the more the better, the more the better,’ he’d say. Sometimes when we talked, he’d say, ‘I’ve already saved the lives of me, my family, and three generations…’

> “At Fenerbahce, at least in the beginning he was showing up for training and stuff, then he completely quit.”

Duran got on the wrong side of former United and Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho during his spell with Fenerbahce. Speaking after Duran missed the start of training, the Portuguese coach said: "That is disrespectful. There are clear rules and anyone who does not follow them must expect consequences.”

Duran’s spell with Benfica has been far from ideal so far. The 22-year-old has made 12 appearances in all competitions, albeit just two of those have been starts. He has scored just twice. His contract with parent club Al-Nassr is set to run until 2030, albeit Benfica have an option to sign him permanently once his loan move comes to an end.

Former teammate Fred in the meantime joined Fenerbahce after leaving Manchester United in 2023. He went on to make 129 appearances for the side, scoring 12 goals ahead of a return to Brazil this year with Atletico Mineiro. He had previously spent five years with the Red Devils after arriving from Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk.

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