will bebe prove to be the next Cristiano or anderson

Strange that Sir Alex Ferguson should follow up his “no value” in the transfer market claim by accusing some clubs of “kamikaze” spending. The Manchester United manager’s excuses for not matching the likes of Manchester City and Real Madrid when it comes to the business of buying new players wore pretty thin last year when the £80million raised by the sale of Cristiano Ronaldo helped ease the debt burden placed on the club by the Glazer family.
Especially when United, champions for the previous three seasons, Champions League winners in 2008 and finalists the following year, ended up second to Chelsea in the Premier League and out of the European Cup in the quarter-finals.
In the end, it was a good job that Ferguson didn’t leave his Carling Cup business to the kids after drawing City in the semi-finals.
This summer should was ripe for Ferguson and the Glazers to prove that their promises of ready cash weren’t as empty as we know the United coffers really are.
But United have continued to spend cautiously.
Around £25million was enough to bring in youngsters Chris Smalling, Javier Hernandez and Bebe while the Old Trafford fans have been desperate for cash to be splashed on the kind of big name that might have helped shift the 4,000 unsold season-tickets.
It may well prove to be an inspired piece of business.
Smalling might indeed develop into a player good enough to fill Rio Ferdinand’s boots, while Hernandez already looks much more than an exciting prospect.
But both signings are still something of a gamble.
And, for me, the purchase of Bebe for £7.4million was as “kamikaze” as anything Roberto Mancini has done on the other side of town.
This is a 20-year-old who scored just four goals in 26 appearances in the Portuguese THIRD division last summer.
Perhaps he was bought to make Dimitar Berbatov look prolific.
United could have signed him for free in May when his contract with that well-known Portuguese cup side Estrela da Amadora ended.
Instead, he was snapped up by Guimares and he didn’t play a single game for his new club before United decided to pay through the nose.
Ferguson admitted that he had never seen Bebe play, while United chief executive David Gill said: “He really came onto the scene in the last week or so.”
That’s a rather strange comment given the Portuguese League only started last weekend and Guimares managed to force a goalless draw at mighty Olhanense without Bebe.
Still the proof is in the pudding…and I hope I don’t end up meaning that literally when it comes to Bebe.
He may turn out to be the next Ronaldo…or the next Anderson.