Manchester United won the traditional curtain-raiser to top-flight English football when they overcame EPL champions Chelsea 3-1 in a competitive Community Shield match at London’s Wembley Stadium last Sunday.

And manager Sir Alex Ferguson this week made a shock foray into the transfer market to add an eighth player to United’s extensive list of strikers, signing 20-year-old Portuguese frontman Bebe.

Big summer forward signing Javier Hernandez was among United’s scorers at Wembley, doubling their advantage on 76 minutes after Antonio Valencia had given them the lead four minutes before half-time.

Hernandez’s strike is already likely to be the oddest goal of the season, as the otherwise impressive young Mexican mishit a tap-in and inadvertently diverted the ball into the net off his nose.

  

United’s defence, still missing injured captain Rio Ferdinand, were made to look unsteady after Chelsea pulled a goal back late on. But they weathered the storm and Dimitar Berbatov’s sumptuous 90^th minute finish sealed victory.

With such an array of attacking talent already on the Old Trafford roster, the signing of Bebe was unexpected, and is a fascinating story of rags to, potential, riches.

The 20-year-old was playing Portuguese Third Division football last season and only moved to top-flight club Vitoria Guimaraes in June.

Bebe, full name Tiago Dias Correia, impressed in a number of pre-season games and reportedly attracted the attention of top European sides including Real Madrid.

But United, tipped off by former assistant boss and current Portuguese national team manager Carlos Queiroz, got there first, paying Guimaraes an officially undisclosed fee thought to be in the region of £7.4m.

It is also understood that the youngster represented Portugal in the Homeless World Cup, having been brought up in an orphanage.

If United’s own website is to be believed, the club have also captured German World Cup star midfielder Mesut Ozil from Bundesliga side Werder Bremen.

However, at the time of writing, this is only an “if”, as Ozil’s player profile has reportedly been posted on the site in error, United themselves dismissing it as a “technical glitch.”

United’s interest in Ozil, who played a prominent part in Germany’s run to the World Cup semi-finals in South Africa, has been well-documented.

And although the 21-year-old pledged his future to Bremen only last month, United and Barcelona have been battling for his signature ever since.

Meanwhile, United’s Senegal under-21 striker Mame Diouf has joined EPL rivals Blackburn Rovers on a season-long loan. Diouf scored once in six United starts last season.

Ferguson’s long-running row with the BBC may have to end this season if United are to avoid significant economic sanction.

The EPL has introduced a new rule compelling its clubs’ managers to talk to broadcast rights holders, including the BBC.

Ferguson has steadfastly refused to do so since a 2004 Panorama documentary about his son Jason’s activities in business and football agency. But if he maintains his silence, he will be subject to ever-increasing fines.

Talks are on-going between club and broadcaster over the issue.