Diamond in the Rough: Angolan star, Man Utds takes Saha's place

It seems today in the light of the success of Adebayor and Torres, there is a fad for English teams to add a tall powerful striker to their squad. Tottenham has added a Russian, Man City a Brazilian and now the defending champions have added Manucho from Angola to their roster. Manucho may not be well recognized yet, but anyone who witnessed his goals during last yrs African Nations Cup will tell you this man has a great chance of blazing the premiereship with a tally of goals.

Manucho spent most his developing years in Luanda at a small club Flamenguinos under the tutelage of his father, who was also his coach. During this time he was opted for the wing midfield position. From there he moved on to professional football in Angola first joining Benfica De Luanda before moving on to Petro Athletico were he spent 6 yrs making 78 appearances scoring 34 goals. His performances soon earned him a trial at Old Trafford, where he impressed Sir Alex, who decided to sign him to the club. He officially became a Manchester Utd player at the end of 07 and was then loaned out to Greek side Panathinaikos for the rest of the season. He was not able to play in the premiereship due to difficulties acquiring a work permit. Manuche appeared 7 times for the Greek side and scored 4 goals. Manucho has now been granted a permit and has now rejoined his team mates at Old Trafford.

Manucho will give Ferguson pain when choosing his striking options. The 25yr old Angolan is tall (6 ft,2) with great muscle structure, with a great eye for the goal. He has been successful in scoring amazing goals with both his feet and head. I was amazed at his long range screamer against Eygpt and a rocket header he executed during his loan time period with Greek giants Panathinaikos. He will bring strength and physical presence that is lacking in Manchester's striker position. His aerial ability will be a plus, he will be able to out jump defenders to the ball to ensure the ball ends in the back of the net. Defenders will also be wary of his shooting abilities, since he is quite capable of shooting from a distance or in the box. I expect Manucho to have an impressive start to his English career.