Manchester United vs Shanghai Shenhua: Why Bebe Was the Real Revelation

Whilst I was watching Manchester United's preseason friendly with Shanghai Shenhua, an odd feeling began to creep up on me not too long before the end.

There was a player in a United shirt who was looking very impressive.

Every time he found the ball at his feet, a blistering shot would be unleashed, often stinging the gloves of the unfortunate Chinese goalkeeper.

He was getting involved with the midfield, playing some nice one-touch passing with the man-of-the-match Shinji Kagawa to create tangible opportunities for the front line.

For a United fan, seeing Bebe actually play well does not so much inspire relief, but confusion.

I, like many, had completely ruled out the possibility of him ever putting on a United shirt for a significant game again and had written him off as one of Sir Alex Ferguson's most monumental flops, a noticeable blemish on the greatest of legacies.

A £7 million flop who drew cringes from the Old Trafford faithful whenever he was in possession of a ball that was inevitably fired into the top tier of the Stretford End.

A player who Sir Alex openly acknowledges, had never been seen play by the United boss before he completed the move and who was signed on the advice of advisers who are probably no longer advisers as a result.

This is Bebe, who was sent out on loan as far away from Old Trafford as possible last season—to Besiktas in the far reaches of Turkey.

This is Bebe, who suffered a terrible injury weeks into his Turkish adventure and had only played four games before running into disciplinary trouble with officials when he returned, sent home to Manchester by a club grateful to be rid of him.

But if the Portuguese big man can develop the parts of his game that are often found wanting—his control, passing and crossing, attributes that can be developed by experienced United coaches, he may very well develop into a useful back-up.

A cameo specialist who can be relied upon to sting the gloves of a few more unfortunate goalkeepers.

Then hopefully, I wont have seen the last of that odd feeling.