Manchester United’s new Brazilian signing Anderson may have to wait a year before he can play for the club after it emerged that he had not played enough games for Brazil to merit a work permit.
The first application for a permit was refused by the Home Office rules, and although United lodged an appeal on Thursday, they cannot reapply until next year if that fails.
However, United will argue that Anderson, 19, is a special case because his age meant he had no chance of fulfilling the necessary criteria.
Anderson needs to have played in 75% of Brazil’s international fixtures in the previous two years to meet Home Office criteria.
Anderson has described the proposed move to Old Trafford as “a dream come true”.
He said: “I cannot wait to play in the same team as Cristiano Ronaldo, who is a great player, as well as Wayne Rooney and many more.”
