Source: Telegraph
Bebé will go from strength to strength for United, says Sir Alex Feguson
The Portuguese forward was left out of a United reserve side last week sparking rumours that the 20 year-old was out of his depth but he has in fact been undergoing specialist work at Old Trafford in an effort to get him game ready. [LNB]He could play his first game since making his £7.4million move to United from Vitoria Guimaraes on Friday, having been included in the Portugal Under 21 squad for the first time to face England Under 21s at Barcelos in Portugal. [LNB] Related ArticlesMan Utd v West Ham previewSir Alex Ferguson: media attacks on Bebe "disgusting"Nullifying Scholes a priorityI was cut out of Beb?eal, says agentBebe: I want to emulate Cristiano RonaldoJavier Hernandez and Chris Smalling join Manchester UnitedIt could prove an intriguing match for United fans, as Bebé may line up against another of Sir Alex Ferguson's surprise signings, the central defender Chris Smalling, signing from Fulham. [LNB]Ferguson has admitted to never having watched the player, even on DVD, before agreeing to sign him but, despite reports, the United manager has been happy with the player's level of performance since his arrival. [LNB]"Ability-wise he's really good, a terrific finisher and we've been very impressed with that," he said. [LNB]"It's just the right fitness levels he needs to get to. We have not done any serious work because we're doing some tests on him. There were one or two areas we needed to work on in terms of his fitness, and that's what we're looking at. [LNB]"It's combining the physical work he's doing with the sports science people, and the football part."[LNB]Bebé can play as a striker or a winger and, while still raw, has pace, power and an improvisational skill that make him a formidable prospect. His heading is underdeveloped for Premier League football but his size, he is 6ft 3in, means he should be able to cope with the physical demands of the league. [LNB]That Bebé needs to work on his core fitness is not a surprise, given the speed of his elevation to elite football. Having been playing street football just over a year ago, he has had a remarkable rise to United's Carrington academy although he had previously represented Portugal at Under 19 level. [LNB]Bebé was playing for Estrela Amadora last season, in the Portuguese second division, but moved to Guimaraes as a free agent after breaking his contract with Amadora for their failure to pay his wages. [LNB]The player originally signed a contract with Guimaraes that had a €3million release clause but after watching him train and in pre-season friendlies, the club renegotiated with Bebe, raising his wages and having a 9million-euro release clause inserted. [LNB]A swarm of scouts descended on the Portuguese club's pre-season friendlies as word of mouth spread about Bebe's ability. Guimaraes even tried to offer the player another pay rise, with a €15million release clause when Manchester United made their move, in a deal brokered by Jorge Mendes, the agent of Cristiano Ronaldo and Jose Mourinho. [LNB]Several other clubs wanted to sign Bebé, Benfica foremost among them. Real Madrid had had the player watched while several Bundesliga clubs had made their interest known and, acting part on the advice of his former assistant Carlos Queiroz, Ferguson decided to move quickly. [LNB]
