Manchester United midfielder Fred has praised manager Jose Mourinho by stressing that he wants him at Old Trafford "for a while to come".

Speculation over the Portuguese's tenure at the club continues to grow amid reports of fallouts with members of the hierarchy and playing staff.

Indeed, rumours of a rift between Mourinho and chief executive Ed Woodward have been rife since the transfer window closed and no defenders were recruited by the Premier League club.

Fred was Mourinho's most expensive signing of the summer, joining for a fee in the region of £52m plus bonuses on a five-year deal.

"I'm really happy to be working with Jose Mourinho," Fred told Sky Sports News.

"He's a great person and he's always keen to communicate with the squad and help people to be communicative regarding what they're to do on the pitch.

"I'm really happy to be working with him and I hope that I'll be working for him for a while to come."

Former Real Madrid head coach Zinedine Zidane has recently been linked with the Man United job.