Brazilian legend Tostao has criticised Manchester United midfielder Anderson for failing to deliver on the promise he showed at a young age, claiming that he could have been as good as Neymar if he had developed his game in the Premier League.
Anderosn is expected to be one of the players shipped out by United this summer
after being left out of Man Utd tour of the USA, as new manager Louis van Gaal looks to get rid of the deadwood at Old Trafford, with the Brazilian midfielder having failed to impress during his eight years at the club.
Tostao has acknowledged that sometimes it can be difficult for Brazilians to adapt to the more disciplined and tactical Premier League, but has claimed the better players should be able to adapt to things without losing their technical edge at all.
The legendary Brazilian feels that Anderson could have been one of the greatest players of his generation if he had applied himself enough to make the adaption, claiming that he has only himself to blame for failing to hit the heights expected of him.
Tostao told
FourFourTwo, “When Brazilians move to the Premier League, I think they become more disciplined, get to know the importance of the collective game and develop the tactical part.
“The point is to learn this without losing technique. If they cannot do this, it’s their fault.
“Anderson is a classic case. If you remember him as a young player, he was pretty much like Neymar, but after playing there, he became predictable. But he’s the only one to blame for this, it’s not down to the Premier League.
“Cristiano Ronaldo is not Brazilian, but can be seen as a player who grew up tactically and developed his technique in England. Anderson was skillful, but did not have great technique, the ability to apply his skills in a big game.
“It was the same with Robinho – he could do everything with the ball and seemed exceptional, but then when his team needed him, he disappeared.”