Bebé’s Manchester United career looks to be over after the Portuguese striker was left out of Louis van Gaal’s 25-man squad for the club’s pre-season tour to America.
Van Gaal explained during his unveiling on Thursday that he was keen to assess every member of the current group before making decisions on their futures. But Bebé was notably absent from the travelling party when it was announced on Friday, despite a successful loan spell at Paços de Ferreira in his homeland last season, when he finished as the top Portuguese goalscorer in the league. The 24-year-old scored 12 goals in 27 games for the Oporto-based club after less prolific loan spells at Besiktas and Rio Ave, having failed to make the grade at Old Trafford following a shock €9m transfer in January 2011. He has recently been linked with a move to Benfica.
Anderson’s name was also omitted from the party, although United later announced that the midfielder’s absence was due to a calf injury sustained in training. The Brazilian joined United in 2007 but has been an increasingly fringe figure at Old Trafford and spent the second half of last season on loan at Fiorentina.
Ander Herrera and Luke Shaw will fly out with the tour party having recently signed for United, but Michael Carrick will miss the trip following recent ankle surgery. Youth-team products Sam Johnstone, Tyler Blackett, Michael Keane, Reece James, Jesse Lingard and Will Keane all made the cut, but there was no room for James Wilson and Tom Lawrence, who made their first-term debuts at the end of last season, or Nick Powell.
Robin van Persie, Javier Hernández, Marouane Fellaini and Adnan Januzaj are still on holiday after the World Cup.
United will play four matches during the tour, beginning with a game against LA Galaxy in the Chevrolet Cup on 23 July in Pasadena. Van Gaal’s side will then take on Roma in Denver, Internazionale in Washington and Real Madrid in Ann Arbor, all as part of the International Champions Cup.
Full Manchester United squad for America tour
De Gea, Lindegaard, Amos, Johnstone, Rafael, Evans, Smalling, Jones, Shaw, Blackett, M Keane, James, Herrera, Cleverley, Fletcher, Young, Zaha, Kagawa, Mata, Valencia, Nani, Lingard, Welbeck, Rooney, W Keane.
