A versatile midfielder who had been attracting the attention of the Red Devils’ Manchester rivals City earlier this season, rumours abound the 25-year-old could even fit in a medical while in England with the Brazil squad for a pre-World Cup training camp this week.
Although United fans will be pleased Jose Mourinho and Ed Woodward are looking to get some business wrapped up early ahead of this summer’s tournament, they may also be guarded against getting too giddy just yet.
After all there haven’t been too many Samba success stories over the years at Old Trafford. Six boys from Brazil have previously worn the red of United. Here, Matt Jones grades them.
RAFAEL DA SILVA
Often rash and hot-headed, the fiery twin brother of Fabio was nevertheless fearless and a firm fan favourite during a seven-year stint at Old Trafford.
He packed a lot of punch into his gritty 5’ 7 1⁄2” frame, which adhered him to United fans, but his tenacious nature could also be an issue.
An impetuous red card proved pivotal as United lost momentum in a crucial Champions League quarter-final encounter with Bayern Munich in May 2013. Having lost the opening leg 2-1 at the Allianz Arena, United raced into a 3-0 lead in Manchester. But Rafael was dismissed early in the second half after a tug on Franck Ribery which heaped pressure on the hosts, and Arjen Robben’s rocket dumped United out as the teams drew 4-4 on aggregate.
There were happier times though, his left-footed curler to beat Liverpool and a piledriver against QPR in the last title-winning 2012/13 season will live long in the memory.
United career 2008-2015
Games 170
Goals 5
Rating: 7/10
Rafael celebrates with United teammates after scoring sublimely against Liverpool.
FABIO DA SILVA
Described as the more talented twin when they arrived from Fluminese in the summer of 2008, yet Fabio never really lived up to the hype and lived in the shade of Rafael. His time in England was marred by injury and he was always playing catch-up to his brother after it took almost a year before he made his first-team debut, due in part initially to registration problems for both brothers before he was then sidelined by a shoulder injury which required surgery.
His competitive debut was delayed until finally featuring in an FA Cup tie against Portsmouth in January 2009.
A good run of form in the 2010/11 season, during which he made 25 appearances in total, actually saw him selected ahead of Rafael to play at right-back against Barcelona in the Champions League final at Wembley.
He was loaned to QPR the following campaign before being sold to Cardiff City, while he has remained in the UK, the 27-year-old playing 24 Championship games for Middlesbrough this season as the Teesiders reached the play-off semi-finals.
United career 2009-2014
Games 56
Goals 3
Rating: 4/10
Fabio started the 2011 Champions League final against Barcelona.
KLEBERSON
Poor Kleberson. Unveiled at Old Trafford alongside Cristiano Ronaldo, he never stood a chance, did he?
His performances for Atletico Paranaense led to him earning his international debut in January 2002 and he was subsequently selected by Luiz Felipe Scolari for that summer’s World Cup squad.
The previously unheralded midfielder played a huge role in the Canarinho triumph in Japan and South Korea, but this little bird failed to fly in England.
He was linked with a myriad of English teams but he eventually pitched up in Manchester after Leeds failed to secure his signature due to a bizarre situation involving his girlfriend – who could not leave the country as she was 15.
Signed as a replacement for another South American who failed to flourish at United, Juan Sebastian Veron, Kleberson was injured in only his second appearance for the club and made just 30 in two seasons, scoring two league goals, before he was banished to Besiktas in Turkey.
United career 2003-2005
Games 30
Goals 2
Rating: 3/10
Kleberson proved to be a flop after signing following Brazil’s 2002 World Cup triumph.
RODRIGO POSSEBON
Many Reds will ask ‘who’? But before a horror tackle by Emmanuel Pogatetz which earned the Middlesbrough man a straight red card in a League Cup tie at Old Trafford in September 2009, Possebon had been building promising foundations at United.
He had drawn comparisons to Paul Scholes and was believed to be well thought of at the club by both players and Sir Alex Ferguson. A highly intelligent player who spoke several languages, Possebon once translated for Carlos Tevez after the striker scored a hat-trick in a Carling Cup victory over Blackburn.
This meant a Brazilian speaking Portuguese, translating to and from English into Spanish for an Argentinian.
But after a decent pre-season following his arrival from Internacional in his homeland, the horrific injury – at first thought to be a broken leg – kept the attacking midfielder out for two months and disrupted the playmaker’s momentum.
Earned one Italy Under-20 cap through his Italian father and he applied for an Italian passport upon signing for the Reds to avoid EU legislation issues. His latest attempt to revive his fading career saw him join Ho Chi Minh City FC in Vietnam in January.
United career 2008-2010
Games 8
Goals 0
Rating: 3.5/10
Rodrigo Possebon was thought of highly at Old Trafford but never recovered following a horror injury.
ANDERSON
Anderson is testament to the fact that just because your club’s fans create a song about you and keep singing it years after you’ve left, it has nothing to do with the impression you left.
The song claims Anderson to be better than Arsenal’s Cesc Fabregas. But in truth he got nowhere near the Spaniard’s level – even though he promised much when signed from Porto in 2007, aged 19.
It’s safe to say that for a mercurial talent who was named best player at the 2005 FIFA U-17 World Championship, much was expected.
He showed flashes of brilliance in his eight years at Old Trafford but he was said to be more a lover of the Manchester party scene and restaurant chain Bem Brasil than he was of the training pitch. Senior players are even believed to have given him a dressing down during his first season at the club, with attention of fans soon switching to his weight.
When on his game he could be an industrious, powerful and stylish box-to-box midfielder, perhaps who found it too easy at the elite level and thought he didn’t have to work hard.
He’d only just turned 20 when he stepped up in the shootout, and scored, as United beat Chelsea in the 2008 Champions League final. It must be said he also suffered six separate knee injuries while playing for United, but he is the true definition of wasted talent.
United career 2007-2015
Games 181
Goals 9
Rating: 5/10
Anderson was gifted but never grafted.
ANDREAS PERREIRA
Remains a little bit of an enigma at United, and has a big summer approaching in terms of his Reds future, having helped Valencia qualify for the Champions League for the first time since 2015 this season.
Supremely talented, many fans thought his time would come last season, but after featuring and impressing in pre-season, Perreira instead chose to join Los Che on loan for the campaign after a successful period with Granada in Spain during 2016/17 when he scored five goals in 37 appearances.
Pereira, 22, made 29 appearances and scored once in his time at the Mestalla and played exclusively in his favoured role on the wing – rather than the deep-lying central role Jose Mourinho used him in last summer, which was believed to be the reason behind his choice to go on loan again.
Having represented Belgium internationally originally, Perreira switched to Brazil in 2014 and scored in the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup final in New Zealand, as Brazil lost 2-1 after extra time to Serbia.
United career 2014-present
Games 13
Goals 1
Rating: 7/10
Andreas Perreira remains a United player but faces a pivotal summer.
