Dream move: Bebe is Fergie's third summer
signing
The 20-year-old became Ferguson's third signing of the summer
when he joined in a £7million deal from Vitoria Guimaraes. But it
was the fact Bebe spent time on the streets as a youngster and used
to play for a team organised by CAIS — the organisation responsible
for Portugal's Homeless World Cup Team — which made headlines. He
then ended up joining the Red Devils after spending only five weeks
with Vitoria after impressing United's Portugal-based scout.
Bebe was virtually unknown 12 months ago as he turned out for
Portugal third division team Estrela Amadora. But with Real Madrid
and a number of top clubs in Portugal starting to take a keen
interest, Ferguson decided to make a move, even though he had never
seen the striker play, even on video.
The United boss said: "On this occasion I didn't watch him. It
is the first time I have done it. "Normally I see plenty of video
footage but our scouting department is very good and sometimes you
have to go on instinct.
"Our scout in Portugal was adamant we must do something quickly.
"You look at the material. You look at their age and whether
they're bringing pace, balance, desire to play. "You've got to
trust your staff at times, so I sent David Gill down there to do
the deal."
New faces: Fergie with Bebe (far left), Javier
Hernandez and Chris Smalling (right)
Bebe will likely have to wait until a Carling Cup
third-round clash next month before getting an opportunity to make
his debut. And for a player whose previous biggest game was a
cup-tie against Benfica, following the path so successfully
navigated by Cristiano Ronaldo is not going to be
easy.
But with fellow countryman Nani already at Old Trafford and
another Portuguese speaker on hand in Anderson, the settling in
process should be made simpler.
When asked what his greatest strengths were, Bebe revealed: "I
am fast, I kick well and I score a lot of goals."
