Signed during the same summer as Nani, Anderson was labelled as another star of the future. Costing a hefty £20million, it was hoped that Anderson and Nani would be a duo that United could build a future side around. Anderson arrived in Manchester with a growing reputation. He had wowed fans at the Under-17 World Cup in 2005, picking up the Golden Ball award, recognition for him being the best player at the tournament. After one year at United, he was voted the Golden Boy of Europe, a prize offered to the best young player on the continent. However, like Nani, Anderson has just failed to develop. At Porto, he was an attacking playmaker, but for United he grew into an industrious midfielder - a workhorse rather than a flamboyant show pony. He spent the second half of the season on loan at Italian side Fiorentina and he is unlikely to pull on the red of United again.
Simon is an NCTJ qualified sports journalist. He has conducted interviews with Tony Adams and Peter Shilton, while also having work published in The Daily Telegraph and The Sun. Follow him on Twitter via @sr_collings.
