Sir Alex Ferguson has angrily criticised media reports that his surprise Portuguese signing Bebé has already disappointed Manchester United coaches. Several outlets have already dismissed the 20-year-old as a ‘flop’ after the winger was left out of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer reserve team squad in the past week.
Ferguson says the player is short of fitness, not ability.
Hardly news perhaps with Ferguson thoroughly enjoying a hate-hate relationship with the English media over the course of his 24 years at the Old Trafford helm, although the strength of the Scot’s defence may surprise some on Fleet Street.
In the past week the Guardian, among other media outlets, reported that coaches were disappointed with Bebé attitude in training, precipitating exclusion from the reserves’ Manchester Senior Cup tie with neighbours City. This comes barely three weeks after the former Vitória de Guimarães player joined United in a £7.4 million deal.
Ferguson says reports are way off mark.
“Bebé is on a programme doing endurance work because his fitness levels are not near the ones we are at,” said the 69-year-old United manager.
“Other than that he has done well.
“I know he has had a couple of vicious attacks on him for why he wasn’t playing in the reserve game but he was never going to be playing on Tuesday. The boy did not deserve that.
“He is a young man trying to make his way in football. They didn’t need to do that. It was a really bitter attack. Ability-wise he is excellent. He is a terrific finisher.
“We have been very impressed with that. It is just the fitness levels he needs to get to.”
Ferguson has left himself open to criticism by signing – at great expense – a player who has never appeared in a senior match above Third Division level on the advice of scouts and not his own judgement of course. But the rush to print the hastily drafted knocking stories is premature, even for the nationals’ sports pages.
After all, the adjustment for a player not long out of amateur football, the streets and going nowhere fast, is likely longer than a superstar joining in a multi-million deal.
That is not to say Bebé will make it at Old Trafford of course, with evidence of the player’s ability scant at best, although better than anything Ferguson had seen before giving the green light to the deal.
Yet for all the jaded pages in the nation’s traditional media, this week’s criticism of Bebé is extreme and – perhaps ever more pertinent – based not on fact but wish-fulfilment. For journalists with little to write about despite the transfer market closing in four days, there is nothing better than a Ferguson-failure story.
The Daily Mail, which never one to let facts get in the way of a good story, called Bebé a “dud,” claiming that “dissenting voices will not be hushed until Bebe [sic] is seen scoring goals.”
Remarkably, after reporting “fans” as the source of apparent frustration with the player, the Mail failed to quote a single supporter in the piece. Not that anyone advocates Mail staff putting in a call to Rant Towers, mind you.
As for Ferguson, the Scot is unlikely to offer any bones to the media hordes any time soon. While the PR advice might be to become more open, stories such as those about Bebé this week make that prospect ever more distant.
The truth is this: Bebé may or may not make it at United. The transfer may indeed turn out one of the most expensive transfer mistakes of Ferguson’s career. There have been many.
It matters little at this stage though. After all Bebé has spent not a minute on the Old Trafford turf to date.
Did these people REALLY speak to coaches at Carrington?
Did René call up The Guardian to bitch about Bebé??
Bunch of lying twats.
The fact is that Bebe had the core build that turned the heads of SAF’s scouts. He’s got the material to work on but he was never going to walk straight into the first team nor was he going to play in the reserves at such an early stage.
Some of the rubbish coming from the media regarding Bebe is over-exaggerated.
What was their source in order to come to a conclusion that fans were frustrated with this signing. Must have been the official Manchester United forum or the Facebook page. Plenty of plastics on there.
My thoughts exactly. Disgraceful “journalism” from people with not enough talent to sniff out a real strory.
If your going to write something weak. At least get a fucking quote in there
Name and shame: Earliest source of the story- Daniel Taylor of the Guardian. Posted a tweet about a week back that Bebe looked ‘decidedly unimpressive after first few training sessions.’ His article reporting Fergie’s defence of the player also seems to justify his stand though he doesn’t admit to him being the source but hides under the umbrella of The Guardian as a newspaper. He questions why Bebe isn’t fit despite having played six pre-season games for Vitoria yet Fergie puts it clearly that he’s not up to OUR fitness levels yet. Is it unconcievable that United’s fitness levels are way beyond those of a second rate Portugese team? Idiot journalism.
Fergie defends Bebe… I would expect nothing less… but until we’ve actually seen him play for ourselves, what do we know either?
I’m putting my faith in Carlos, and his loyalty to Fergie and United… he wouldn’t send us a lemon.
But still… I think we’ll have to be patient. and supportive… we may not see the thinking behind this signing for a couple years.
Didn’t that cunt recommend Diouf?
Diouf not to bad so far for Blackburn – 4 goals in 2 starts.
If he carries on in that vein he will either:
A. Net United a few million profit at the end of the season with a transfer.
B. Be back at OT as that targetman that we have been missing.
Absolutely agreed!
Hopefully it is going to be B.
When SAF let him play, Diouf was better than any other forwards last year, except for Rooney. He has real ability!