Anderson: A Midfield Legend in the Making

One of the most impressive young players to grace the Premier League this season has been Manchester United's new midfield addition, Anderson Luis de Abreu Oliveira.

The Brazilian youngster was once close to joining Chelsea and Barcelona. However, United snapped up the Porto midfielder for what now seems a bargain £19 million.

At only 19 years of age, many United fans were more than happy to see this type of player acquired. It showed how Sir Alex Ferguson was preparing for the future, to bolster the team with youth and pace, and build another great side.

However, it was not until Paul Scholes' knee injury in October that Anderson showed the United fans that he was a real talent. A real presence in midfield, he bossed it with blinding pace, hulkish upper body strength, and vision that the great ginger midfielder he replaced would have been proud of.

In fact he played so well, that what once would have been a team-crippling injury to United's play maker, was quickly forgotten.

Ferguson himself became an instant fan in the wake of Anderson's fantastic midfield performances. "Anderson has been absolutely superb, he can tackle, he's lightning quick, he's brave and he can pass the ball."

However, Ferguson does admit that he needs one more element to his game to assure him of the midfield berth. "What he's got to prove is his goalscoring ability, because that's something that Scholesy has always given us."

It was a big shock to many fans to not see Anderson even nominated for the Young Player of the Year award, especially after his sturdy displays against Steven Gerrard, and fellow nominee Cesc Fabregas.

But one thing is for certain, United have uncovered a gem in the young Brazilian, who has the potential to become a legend at Manchester United, and one of the world's greatest players.

Anderson's Statistics 2007/2008:

Goals: 0

Goal Assist: 1

Clean Sheets: 13

Red Card: 0

Yellow Card: 2

Tackles won: 39

Tackles lost: 6

Fouls won: 24

Total shots: 16

On target: 6

Attacks Created: 22

Total Passes: 807

Passes Completed: 651

Appearances: 23