Manchester United have had some very talented players over the years who never quite reached their potential.
Paul Pogba recently described Ravel Morrison as the best player of his generation, but the midfielder never made it at Manchester United, while the likes of Juan Veron and Diego Forlan also didn’t click at Old Trafford.
Pogba himself perhaps didn’t fulfil his potential at United.
Anderson arrived at Manchester United in 2007 as a very exciting young talent, and within a year, he was the Golden Boy winner.
However, Anderson never quite hit the heights expected of him, and speaking on the Football’s Greatest Podcast, Paul Scholes has been discussing why Anderson never succeeded at United.
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Why Anderson didn’t succeed at Manchester United
Scholes discussed Anderson alongside Nicky Butt.
The pundit says that Anderson wasn’t actually a great professional, claiming that the Brazilian didn’t look after his body as well as he should’ve done.
“One player who I really liked, Kleberson came through from Brazil, but one player who I thought should’ve had an unbelievable career at United was Anderson,” Butt said.
“I think he looked like that player, he had that skill and he also had the strength and the power, he should’ve been a stalwart.”
“He was the nicest lad you would meet. I don’t think he was great professionally. I don’t think he looked after his body as he should’ve done. I put him up there with the Veron signing, great footballers, incredible talent, but couldn’t fit into a position,” Scholes said.
“I always remember going away to Anfield and Gerrard couldn’t lay a finger on him, he was amazing Anderson. He had some injury problems, but he had some real pace, but his fitness, I don’t think he looked after himself how he should’ve done.”
What happened to Anderson?
Anderson would play his final game for Manchester United in 2014, and, sadly, that as basically it for his career at the top level.
Anderson was only 26 years old when he left United, but, from that point, his career nosedived.
| Anderson’s post-Manchester United career | Spell | Games | Goals |
| Internacional | 2015-2018 | 50 | 1 |
| Coritiba (loan) | 2017 | 12 | 0 |
| Adana Demirsport | 2018-2020 | 12 | 0 |
Anderson never played at the top level again, and he would only score one goal after leaving United.
Anderson would ultimately play his final game in 2019 at the age of just 31 before finally calling it a day on his footballing career in September 2020.
The Brazilian was meant to be the next big thing at United when he arrived in 2007 for £26m, but, sadly, it never worked out that way for the midfielder as he simply didn’t look after himself in the way a Premier League footballer perhaps should.
Anderson could’ve been an absolute star at United if things had turned out differently.
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