Anderson to hit heights

June 20, 2007

Anderson in action, left

UNITED new boy Anderson can become a huge European superstar according to World Cup-winning coach Luis Felipe Scolari.

Scolari, who was the FA's first choice to become Sven-Goran Eriksson's successor as national boss ahead of Steve McClaren, knows a bit about talent.

The South American steered Brazil to 2002 World Cup success in Japan and has since led Portugal to the Euro 2004 final and the semi-finals of the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

And the 58-year-old has put his seal of approval on Sir Alex Ferguson's £17m capture of 19-year-old Anderson from Porto.

Scolari has monitored the midfielder's progress at Porto whilst running the rule over players for the Portuguese national squad.

"Anderson has joined a good English club and he is one that, probably inside the next two years, will be one of the biggest names in Europe," said the Brazilian of his fellow countryman.

"He'll achieve that if he continues the progression that he had with Porto."

United are still waiting to hear whether their application for a work permit for Anderson has been successful.

If it is rejected, the Reds are still expected to be successful on appeal.

Anderson does not meet the Home Offices Immigration department's criteria of having played 75 per cent of his country's international matches in the last two years.

He has yet to be capped by Brazil but is in the South American's squad for the Copa America.

Anderson was snapped up by the Reds in a double swoop on Portugal this month when they also sealed the arrival of Sporting Lisbon winger Nani.

Nani's potential impact on the Premiership and his £17m price tag has been derided by Chelsea scout Piet de Visser.

But the 20-year-old is itching to ram those words down his throat when the Reds meet the Londoners again in the Community Shield clash at Wembley on August 5.

"I am already thinking about that game," says Nani.

"I want to make my mark and to show Chelsea that buying me has been a great move by United."

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Birdy, Ireland (20/06/2007 at 08:56)

I bet Chelsea are really thanking their scout now. It constantly amazes me when clubs cant shut their mouths about teams and players. What possible benefit was their in rubbishing Utd's new signing? It could achieve no other end than firing up the guy to prove himself! So thanks Chelsea for motivating our lads even more.

Thats an excellent recommendation for Anderson coming from someone like Scolarie. He knows a thing or 2 about the game. I think we should all take note of exactly what he said though, "2 years". In other words dont expect Anderson to come in and be Ronaldinho from day 1. I expect it will take both him and Nani a full season to settle into the team and adjust to English football. I hope that they can both contribute significantly while doing so obviously but a bit of patience will be required

Justin The Great, manchester (20/06/2007 at 09:26)

welcome to the best club in the world. Thank you for joining us.

Jonathan Chin, Truly Asia (20/06/2007 at 09:46)

Great comment from Scolari. Not sure it help for the permit application or not..

seasider, blackpool (20/06/2007 at 10:01)

Spot on, Birdy. Scolari's words echo SAF's comment about the vital roles Scholes and Giggs have to play over the next couple of seasons, presumably while the two new guys find their feet.

Exciting times ahead. Can't wait for the new season!

Demo, Glossop (20/06/2007 at 10:10)

oh how im looking forward to nani shutting up the chavski! how they can come out and criticise a player is beyond me when they paid over 20mil for swp then stuck him on the bench and turned him rubbish!

watch and learn how the mighty united nurture youngsters and get the best from them!

this boy anderson looks pretty mint and scolari's praise is evidence that we have got a good one! but yes patience is the word and altho i believe they will contribute significantly to this season, their best will be a year or two away.

eighteen, London (20/06/2007 at 10:43)

Anderson excites me a lot more than Nani. I don't know why. Nani looks a little, erm, directionless (if that's a word) on the pitch.

It's similar in my view to Ronaldo and Rooney. People say Ronaldo is vying for the accolade of best player in the world, but he's not even on the same planet as Rooney.

Sure, at times Ronaldo looks like the most dangerous attacking player in the game, but his decision-making is absolutely atrocious.

And actually cost us the FA Cup Final.

spooky (20/06/2007 at 11:34)

Having just watched rio talk about nani and anderson on sky sports something he said was very familiar. He said after the pre season game against porto a few of the lads were saying how good he was. Sounds like the time we played sporting lisbon and a young lad called ronaldo was playing. Maybe we shouldnt bother with scouts and just ask the players who they'd like us to sign! Must say though last season there were many times we needed somebody to come off the bench to provide a spark but we didnt have any alternatives (fletcher smith richardson). This year we will have anderson and nani interchanging on the bench with scholes and giggs, imagine being a right back and facing giggs for 60 mins and nani for 30 or vice versa! Also this italian chap looks good on youtube but surely anelka is the proven goalscorer at a reasonable price.

Duncan, London (20/06/2007 at 11:58)

Eighteen, while I agree that Anderson excites me the most of our signings, I think your criticism is of Ronaldo is a bit over the top mate. I think you are forgetting the myriad of matches he dragged us through throughout the entire season. He is entitled to a few off games considering he worked his butt off the entire season to help get us the premiership. And it seems absolutely everyone in the football world disagrees with you otherwise he wouldn't have received the awards he did.

TMUF, Manchester (20/06/2007 at 11:59)

eighteen thats nonsense. Ronaldo and Rooney are both great players but Ronaldo has the edge because he is far more technically gifted. I thought in the FA Cup game Ronaldo was very disciplined as he was marked by 2 players usually yet still didn't lose the ball often at all. The reason we lost was because we didn't take our chances. We were the better team and created the better opportunities, I suppose VDS was a bit slow off the mark. If you were just talking about the game however, then yes Rooney was better then Ronaldo and he was the best player on the pitch closely followed by Scholes. As for Anderson and Nani, I agree for some reason. I haven't seen much of either but to me Anderson looks the more technically gifted. The good thing is they both seem good on the ball and I think they will both be good NEXT season. At times our bench was woeful last season. Hopefully we have seen the last of that!

Hilton (20/06/2007 at 12:00)

eighteen, in London BEHAVE!
Ronaldo didn't cost us the FA Cup. Maybe Giggs did.
Rooney had one of his worst season in a Manchester jersey this last season (albeit scoring 23 goals)
Ronaldo almost singlehandedly won us the PREM back.
Live the dream................

stu, london (20/06/2007 at 12:02)

Birdy, and others, spot on. If I hear any criticism of Nani or Anderson - or SAF for signing them - next season I'll hit the roof.

Scholes and Giggs will be VITAL the next two seasons as we nurture these boys the United way and turn them into world stars, a la Ronaldo.

Chelsea know precisely nothing about developing talent with a long term view, so we can safely ignore anything that eminates from west London.

Roy (20/06/2007 at 12:08)

A little premature to comment about the merits of Nani and Anderson but what excites me is that Utd have probably doubled the creators in the team - the players that swing matches ala Ronaldo against Fulham and Rooney's 3rd against Everton. Last season it was uncanny how Rooney came into his own after Ronaldo's formed dipped. An injury to either would probably have cost the title. Now Utd have 4 potential match winners. You can double up against Ronaldo but you can't use 6-8 players to cover the four. The challenge is to get them playing as a team and not as individuals trying to outdo each other. I just get the feeling that Man U have pulled off a masterstroke here. Chelsea coach de Visser can comment all he likes about Nani and his impact on the PL but what Im arguing is that this is not a discussion about individual players - because he is not United's sole buy and because the sum may be more than the parts: this will be a front line that very few teams will cope with. Lastly, it's strange how little mention Hargreaves is getting. That helps take the pressure off and yet I believe his impact, while less spectacular, will be just as significant. How many days to the Charity Shield?

Little Red Devil, England (20/06/2007 at 12:09)

Eighteen London - How exactly did Ronaldo cost us the FA Cup Final? Maybe i have missed something there, but i'd really like know!!!. You are however correct in that you say Ronaldo isn't on the same planet as Rooney. That because Ronaldo is World Class and Rooney is an average English player who is overhyped by the british media.

JonyB-), North Staffs (20/06/2007 at 12:11)

To be Honest of all the players to arrive so far the one that really pleases me is Hargreaves, since only having a defensive duo of Carrick/Hargreaves will allow for the progreession of these players. As well as prolonging Giggs & Scholes careers. I think Nani and Anderson will develop into fantastic players but wouldnt put a time limit on it, but the future sure seems bright with the addition of these pair.....

Duncan, London (20/06/2007 at 12:20)

Good point Spooky about having options on the bench to change matches. I am also relishing how the old stagers like Giggs and Scholes respond to the challenge of the young guns. Looking forward to some spectacular showboating. Should see Fergie developing a few bald patches. Exciting times ahead!

Sterling, Salford (20/06/2007 at 12:53)

I'm loving Nani's attitude already with those comments about Chelsea!! How long until the season starts?

Lee , Heywood, Heywood (20/06/2007 at 13:06)

I have just got back from the most relaxing holiday in years. I didnt buy a newspaper and I didnt keep looking at my phone for news on transfers. It was great so I thank SAF and Gill for feeling so refreshed. While I was away I was already looking forward to the new season. I wasnt thinking what will we win. I was simply looking forward to every game we play next season and the football we will produce. I cant wait.Even if Chelski and Liverpool win the lot next year playing their brand of negative football their fans still wont enjoy watching the 90 minutes every week. I think that Anderson particularly and also Nani will add to the qaulity we already have and that OH simply offers something that we dont have so it will be easy for him to make an impact. Bringing off Scholes and Giggs for Anderson and Nani when we are 3-0 up at home to Reading after an hour will be simply mind blowing stuff.

JonyB-), North Staffs (20/06/2007 at 13:07)

Sterling's right, defo....
exactly the sort of response you want - someone whos eager to take it onto the football field and make them suffer.... as long as staff focused will be one of the worst bits of media mindgame play they've done till now....

SIMON., DERRY, N. IRELAND. (20/06/2007 at 13:42)

I actually think that had Beckham been forgiven by SAF and stayed at OT and Ronaldo had signed as he did he would have developed even faster. That's the edge that Nani and Anderson now have because Giggs and Scholes are still here and very much still part of the 1st team squad. Ronaldo didn't get a chance to bed in as he was plunged straight into the deep end (all-be-it because Solskjaer got injured long-term). But if these 2 both play to their potential this season then SAF will give them the nod over Giggs and Scholes. It's just nice to have finally got direct replacements for these 2 as the Premiership did take it's toll on them last season, especially Giggs who struggled in the last 6/7 matches. Still, this season could be even better than last with this array of talent and mix of youth and experience. Support the Team and Live the Dream.....

JonyB-), North Staffs (20/06/2007 at 14:50)

Simon i'm not so convinced on that argument. In what Ronaldo would've gained in having Beckhams experience and talent to train with, he would of lost significantly in the amount of games he would have started/ participated in, especially the big games where you'd expect Beckham to be of chosen ahead.
I think Beckhams 12mnth showing prior to him leaving us was very average compared TO HIS exceptional standards- so whilst i felt in the short term we lost out, in the long term i think we've gained massively with Ronaldo. I'm just glad Becks went out with a bang at Real, as like RVN the mans class, shows class and seems genuinly a UTD red devil to the core.

chris spence, Altrincham (20/06/2007 at 14:53)

I've been watching the U21 championships to see first hand how Nani and Rossi were looking. Nani is a great crosser of the ball, isn't afraid to take people on. Rossi was one of the players who stood out is a good Italian side, so I hope he gets his chance. One comment said of Rooney he's an average player but I remember his goal against Newcastle he was talking to the ref and took time out to crack one in. If as a United fan your not looking forward to the new season somethings wrong with you. Whether Arsenals young pups will have a better season we'll have to see. Liverpool all promise a lot and then fall away quite early. Plus they are letting players go and will be starting from scratch to a degree. Chelsea will Robben be there is Makele leaving we don't know plus half their team takes part in the African nations cup.

Lee , Heywood, Heywood (20/06/2007 at 15:10)

Echo Jonyb's comments on Becks and Ruud. Chuffed Madrid won the league with them.

BrewDevil, Clemson,USA (20/06/2007 at 15:36)

Let'em talk. The only creativity chel$ki fans get to see associated with their football is the embarrassing drivel spouted by their deranged, classless henchmen. I actually believe they are being totally honest in their opinions of Nani & Anderson. It's obvious from their previous transfer activity that Moaninho & Co. don't appreciate, or even understand, any player that is not a mercenary.

Jimmy the Red, Winnipeg (20/06/2007 at 15:53)

Little Red Devil, England.........I'm glad someone commented on the drivel from Eighteen. However, I have a feeling you may have to eat your your own words about Rooney. Overhyped??? I don't know he's overhyped anymore than other players in the spotlight. I don't know what you call 23 club goals per season but in anyone's books that's a pretty good season's haul. In fact, it's the same tally as Ronaldo.......so I fail to see how you can justifiably slag Rooney.

Frank Old Trafford (20/06/2007 at 15:57)

Lee, I agree with you. We now have a team worth watching, but if we can't moan about how bad DF and JOS are or if carrick is worth his transfer fee what are we going to talk about?

Spooky, didn't Rio say that he hadn't seen the other fella (meaning Nani) play? hell of a chief scout he'd make! With the competition from all the big clubs for top young talent the scouting dept of any club is vital. United have come to the conclusion that you have to pay for talent and have given up trying to find cheap talent a la Djemba. Next season, as Lee says, we'll enjoy the benefits of that policy change on the pitch!

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