Manchester United’s new Bebe gets bad press, Fergusson defends young striker
Manchester United’s new signing, Bebe, was criticized by the British press, as he was unable to make it into Manchester United’s reserve squad.
Bebe was signed by Manchester United from Portuguese Primera Division, during this summer. Everyone expected Sir Alex Ferguson to sign some player in order to complement his attack, however, no one expected him to sign a relatively unknown player. Therefore, it was obvious that the press would turn against the youngster at one point or the other.
Currently, Bebe is not included in Manchester United’s squad, however, it was expected that he would eventually make it to senior team, after he has proven himself playing with the reserve team. But, things seemed to take a wild turn when Bebe was dropped from the reserves squad. This meant only one thing that the player, had failed to impress during the training sessions.
Therefore, Bebe was widely criticised in the press for his poor form during the early training sessions. Even before the deal went through, Sir Alex Ferguson, Manchester United’s manager, was coming under a lot of criticism. People felt that Ferguson has wasted his money on the player. Rather, Bebe did not even start playing at any professional level, so Ferguson had not even seen him playing for any team. It was a totally random decision by the legendary Scotsman, who is often found to rely only on his instincts.
There is no doubt that there are high expectations built around the young Portuguese striker, because of his heavy build and physical strength. But, it seems that Ferguson’s instincts did not help him on this occasion, because Bebe has failed to grasp the first opportunity thrown at him. Manchester United needed another wonder-maker, like Cristiano Ronaldo, but it seems that they are still far away from their dreams.
Despite the problems being faced by Bebe, Alex Ferguson has come out to defend his player. He said that the match was against Manchester City’s reserves, while Bebe was never meant to play in that match. He said that the player is facing fitness issues, so he is on a training schedule to help him with his fitness. So, before he reaches the required levels, Bebe would remain on training, before making it to the reserves squad.
Maybe, Alex Ferguson is right that perhaps, it was better for Bebe to be left out for the match. Manchester City has a big squad at their disposal, while their reserves team is also full of players who can easily make it into any big teams. So, this match could have been too much for a player making his debut, without any prior experience.
The fitness problems with the Portuguese are also understandable. Bebe has not seen any action throughout his life, as he rose from poverty to make it into Manchester United. He started playing football in the streets around an orphanage, while he was continuously struggling to make any impact at all. However, out of the blue, Ferguson picked the youngster up, with full knowledge of the problems associated with the signing. It would definitely take him some time to adjust to some real football training, while fitness would be his major problem.
There are no doubts about his potential, as Ferguson reiterated the same fact during the interview. He said that Bebe showed himself to be a great finisher, which is what Manchester United desperately wants at the moment. He continued to give hope to United’s fans that Bebe would turn out to be a great player.
Right now, Manchester United is not facing any real problems, as they did not see any difficult times, except a draw against Fulham. However, soon the injuries would start raising their heads, especially when his main player, Wayne Rooney, has not shown great fitness in recent times. Therefore, it would be better for United, if Bebe is able to make it to senior team. Although, the chances are there, but only a significant improvement would give Manchester United some hope.
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