Youths of today: Gladstony (1), Aguilar (2),
Lucas Evangelista (3), Agnaldo, (4), and Rafael Leao (5) watch from
the directors' box, as does Fabio Capello (circled bottom
right)
While eyes were fixed on the Old Trafford
directors’ box last Saturday to see if Fabio Capello would finally
get up close and personal with Rio Ferdinand over the England
captaincy issue, many would have missed the five Brazilian boys
sitting six rows behind the Italian.
Long after Capello’s discarded skipper ends his career at
United, the club hope their tie-up with Sao Paulo academy
Desportivo Brasil will provide them with a steady stream of
talent.
The process is part of a painstaking two-and-a-half-year
project by the Barclays Premier League leaders to develop their own
talent in South America rather than splash out huge fees on the
next generation of stars.
Confidentiality agreements prevent Desportivo Brasil from
revealing which of their 100-plus teenagers have a pre-contract
agreement with United, but Sportsmail has learned that the five
players pictured at Old Trafford are called Gladstony, Aguilar,
Lucas Evangelista, Agnaldo and Rafael Leao.
The five are now visiting Dutch champions Twente,
who United plan to use as a holding club for the boys to gain
European Union passports.
Midfielders Gladstony and Rafael Leao will be 18 later
this year — the age at which they can legally sign for a club
outside Brazil — but tight immigration laws in England mean they
are unlikely to be granted work permits as, unlike United defenders
Rafael or Fabio da Silva, they have not even represented their
country at youth level.
This is where Twente come in. Holland will happily let the
boys play there, where they can stay until they qualify for an EU
passport or get enough international experience for a UK work
permit.
Desportivo Brasil is owned by sprawling South American
football company Traffic, whose president of international business
Jochen Losch told Sportsmail: ‘Twente are a partner,
helping United to resolve the problem of their EU passports. For
two reasons it’s good that a player goes first to Holland. First,
after two or three years he’s considered to be European. And of
course it’s easier to play in the Dutch league than the Premier
League.’
The players all live inside a multimillion-pound training
centre in Porto Feliz, a 90-minute drive from bustling Sao Paulo
where they enjoy better training facilities than at most major
Brazilian clubs.
But Desportivo Brasil do not dream of winning the league
title or the Copa Libertadores; their raison d’etre is to have the best
youth teams in South America and sell on their talent.
The designated United players are given extra English
lessons, sessions with a psychologist about being away from home
and visits to the Carrington training complex they may one day call
home.
If United go through with a signing, they pay a set fee,
based on a player’s position rather than ability.
The Brazilian academy, set up by Traffic, then retain a
hefty 50 per cent sell-on clause.
Losch said: ‘Manchester United look for young players in
Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay. If they find a good one
they come to us. We’ll get the player, register him with Desportivo
Brasil, and we have a contract with United that they have an option
to buy this player at 18 for a fixed amount.
‘If the guy turns out to be an Alexandre Pato (the striker
who left Internacional for AC Milan for nearly £20million on his
18th birthday) United can still have him for a huge discount
because of course we’ll honour the contract. If they don’t like the
player, we keep him.’
The partnership was struck after United’s pursuit of the
Da Silva twins.
They were first spotted as 15-year-olds but could not be
formally taken out of Brazil until their 18th birthday, meaning
they risked being neglected in the Fluminense youth team and they
never made a senior appearance in Brazil.
One of the brightest hopes on Desportivo Brasil’s books is
striker Aguilar, who was 16 a fortnight ago but was called up by
Brazil’s Under 17 squad for training in January.
Aguilar was signed by Belo Horizonte side Cruzeiro in
2009. However, because contracts are not valid before a player’s
16th birthday, Desportivo Brasil were able to take him to Porto
Feliz a year ago, prompting an angry reaction from Cruzeiro
president Zeze Perrella.
Talent spot: United scouts noticed Fabio da Silva
(left) at 15, while Pato (right) left Internacional in 2007 for
almost £20million
Aguilar’s former coach Joao Paulo Tardim said:
‘There is no doubt about his quality. Saying he will become a great
player is an exercise in predicting the future, but the chances of
it happening are very high.’
English scouts will no doubt be at the Emirates on Sunday
to see Brazil, with exciting Santos striker Neymar and Sao Paulo
playmaker Lucas, take on Scotland.
But the pair have recently signed contracts setting their
value at £39m and £66m respectively.
If United’s project comes off, it will have been a long
game worth playing.