United opt for Obertan addition
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Article summary
Manchester United FC have signed FC Girondins de Bordeaux winger Gabriel Obertan for an undisclosed fee, the 20-year-old committing to a deal which will keep him at Old Trafford until 2013.
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Article body
Manchester United FC have signed 20-year-old FC Girondins de Bordeaux winger Gabriel Obertan on a four-year deal.
'Exciting prospect'
Obertan moves to the UEFA Champions League runners-up for an undisclosed fee and United manager Sir Alex Ferguson said: "Gabriel is a player we have tracked for a few years now. We are delighted to get him as he is an exciting prospect. We like to get young players and develop them, and we will see that in Gabriel over the next two years."
Third signing
After making his Bordeaux debut in 2006, Obertan went on to make 55 top-flight appearances for the club, scoring three goals. With first-team opportunities hard to come by at champions Bordeaux last season he spent the second half of the campaign on loan to FC Lorient. He has been capped at every age-group level by France, latterly the Under-21s, and becomes Sir Alex's third signing of the summer after Michael Owen and Antonio Valencia. Premier League titleholders United start their 2009/10 UEFA Champions League campaign in the group stage.
