Publications
Partners
Manchester - Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson agreed to the signing of Bebe even though he had never seen footage of the young Portuguese striker.
Bebe became United's third recruit of the offseason last week when he joined the Premier League side from Portuguese club Vitoria Guimaraes for £7m.
"Normally I see plenty of video footage, but our scouting department is very good and sometimes you have to go on instinct," Ferguson said on Tuesday.
"On this occasion, I didn't watch him. It is the first time I have done it."
The 20-year-old Bebe was playing in the Portuguese third division 12 months ago and joined United only five weeks after signing a five-year contract with Vitoria.
He was unknown outside Portugal before United made its surprise move following recommendations from both the club's scout and its former assistant manager, Portugal coach Carlos Queiroz.
"Our scout in Portugal was adamant we must do something quickly," Ferguson said. "You look at the material. You look at their age and whether they're bringing pace, balance, desire to play.
"You've got to trust your staff at times."
Bebe could struggle for first-team opportunities at Old Trafford this season, with Wayne Rooney, Dimitar Berbatov, Michael Owen and another new signing, Javier Hernandez, expected to be ahead of him in the list of strikers.
