Bebe: 'I thought Manchester United bid was a joke'

Portuguese forward Bebe has claimed that he thought Manchester United "were joking" when they signed him from Vitoria de Guimaraes in 2010.

United parted with £7.5m to sign Bebe, despite the fact that Sir Alex Ferguson had never seen the attacker play.

The 24-year-old struggled in Manchester, however, making just seven first-team appearances before joining Benfica on a permanent deal last summer.

"I had a contract with a termination clause of €9m and within two days there was a team that wanted to pay it. And I went to Manchester. I thought they were joking," Bebe told Marca.

"I learned a lot with Ferguson. What went wrong? Well, I was alone. I needed more experience to deal with that. In Manchester I was a child and was alone. I've grown and I am a better person, very different."

Bebe is currently on loan at La Liga side Cordoba.