[Supernan]

Manchester United winger Bebe struck by more bad luck
Bebe’s run of bad luck has taken another cruel twist with the on-loan Manchester United winger being ruled out for six months with a knee injury before even making his Besiktas debut.


By Graham Chase

9:37PM BST 10 Aug 2011

The 21 year-old, who joined the Turkish club on a season-long loan deal in June, tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee while playing for the Portugal under 21s against Slovakia and he now requires surgery.

The clubs are in discussions about where the operation will take place and it remains unclear whether he will return to Manchester for his rehabilitation.

The injury caps a bizarre period for the Portuguese, who cost United £7.4 million from Vitoria only weeks after he had been signed on a free transfer.

To add to the strange nature of the deal, Bebe, who grew up living in a Lisbon homeless shelter, was signed on the recommendation of former United assistant manager Carlos Queiroz, with Sir Alex Ferguson admitting it was the first signing he had ever made without ever having seen the player in action.

That did not stop Ferguson being fiercely defensive of the youngster when reports suggested he had been deemed not good enough for the reserves’ match against City’s second string in August.

“He is a young man just trying to make his way in football. Ability-wise, he is a terrific finisher,” Ferguson said at the time.

The player went on to make his debut in a 5-2 Carling Cup win over Scunthorpe and made his first Premier League appearance as a substitute in a goalless draw at Sunderland.

His next Carling Cup appearance saw him score in a 3-2 win over Wolves and he also found the net in a 3-0 Champions League win at Bursaspor.

He replaced Owen Hargreaves in the 2-1 win over Wolves, only to be withdrawn himself and then his only other appearances of last season were the 4-0 Carling Cup defeat at West Ham and a 1-0 FA Cup win over Crawley, with Ferguson hitting out at the team performance on both occasions.

The move to Turkey, which included a clause with a fixed fee of £2 million, looked like a new start for the Portuguese but it has only brought more misfortune.