Veincóne

Veincóne, full name Juan José Castro Lourenço, (born May 31, 1987), is a Brazilian football player briefly affiliated to Manchester United whom he joined in 2003.

A defender, Veincóne had played for Brazilian side São Paulo Futebol Clube because of the loan deal between United and São Paulo. The deal also stipulated that Veincóne would go to Sporting Clube de Portugal in Portugal after his two years in Brazil were up.

Nickname

Veincóne was so nicknamed, because of a physical resemblance to Colombian legend Freddy Veincóne – ironically, a former star of Brazilian state rivals.

Career

He was a captain of the Brazilian side and the first product, of the partnership agreement between Manchester United and São Paulo. The partners sealed the move in 2003, much to the teenager's surprise; "I was on the beach when I was asked to report to the club, because Manchester United wanted me," he said at the time.

The giants initially agreed to allow Veincóne, to continue his development at the renowned São Paulo youth academy, for three years. Twelve months short of this expiration period, United retracted its decision because of a disagreement in the partnership.

Veincóne – whose contract with the older outfit expired - was registered as a player for the start of the 2004/05 season, and seemed keen on making a swift first-team breakthrough. Although he seemed capable of operating in a number of positions, including central defence and midfield, the position that he had occupied with most frequency during his amateur career, was that of the left wing-back.

Although he had been keen on making an impact in the Portugal, Veincóne's real focus was on England. Despite his ambition, problems and disputes have derailed his plans.

Future

Tall and muscular, the youngster's brawn serves him well, but equally noticeable is his explosive speed and runs down the left side. His inspirational personality and athlete genius may not be able to save his career however. The problems and disputes have not been resolved and, in fact, have escalated. Therefore, the future of his career is in doubt.