Mirror - The former Manchester United assistant and Portugal coach says he had NOTHING to do with the controversial £7.2m deal which has been the subject of a corruption investigation.

Ex-Manchester United No.2 Carlos Queiroz has revealed that he had no input in Bebe’s controversial £7.2million arrival at Old Trafford four years ago.

And that contradicts Sir Alex Ferguson’s explanation that he signed the Portuguese Under-21 international without actually watching him after taking Queiroz’s advice.

The deal – which saw United sign Bebe from Vitoria Guimaraes in August 2010 – has been the subject of a Portuguese police investigation into corruption.

Questions were asked about why United would pay such a significant sum for a player who had played just one season in Portugal’s third division.

Ferguson admitted Bebe was the first player he had signed without watching him in action – but insisted he did so because of Queiroz’s insistence.

However, Fergie’s former assistant – who was the Portugal coach in 2010 – said he hadn’t even heard of Bebe before his shock move to Manchester.

“Bebe was not even part of our scouting files for the national team of Portugal,” said Queiroz in an interview with FourFourTwo magazine.

“He didn’t exist in a system where nothing escaped us.

"So Bebe going to Man United took me by surprise.

"I called my coaches and asked them what was going on, why he didn’t exist.

"I knew nothing about him.”

Bebe made just two league appearances at Old Trafford before being sold to Benfica in the summer for £2m after loan spells with Besiktas, Rio Ave and Pacos de Ferreira.

He will be remembered as the most controversial signing of Ferguson’s 26-year United reign.

Bebe joined Guimaraes on a free from Estrela when the club failed to pay his wages, but within weeks he had gone to United for £7.2m without playing a competitive game.

It later emerged that Bebe had linked up with super-agent Jorge Mendes just weeks before he moved to Old Trafford.

Mendes, who had taken Cristiano Ronaldo, Nani and Anderson to United, had acquired a 30 per cent stake in Bebe and banked £2.89m when he followed.