Anderson's star set to shine

United fans may only have seen glimpses of Brazilian midfielder Anderson's talents, but Sir Alex Ferguson is certain everyone will be impressed when he overcomes injury and make his Reds bow.

Perhaps the least known of United's four summer captures, Anderson is currently recovering from a hamstring strain and is yet to make his competitive debut for the Reds.

At just 19, he barely had time to impress at his former club FC Porto, who signed him from Brazilian side Gremio in January 2006, before United snapped him up in the summer for a fee reported to be around £20million.

He suffered a broken leg last season, further limiting his exposure at Porto, but that snapshot was enough to impress United's scouts and Sir Alex revealed that the Reds were reluctant to risk losing Anderson to a rival.

"Anderson is a fantastic talent," he told Inside United, the club's official monthly magazine. "He can play in centre midfield or in the middle in attack.

"We've taken a bit of a risk because he broke his leg last year, but we thought that if he starts the season at Porto it won't be long before everybody wants him, so we decided to do the deal in the summer.

"We've spent a fair bit of money on him and Nani, but I think the deals are good value. They'll both give us terrific attacking options."

21/08/2007 10:43, Report by Ben Hibbs