As one Manchester United forward outlined his intention yesterday to establish himself among the pantheon of great strikers who have served the club, a second was facing up to the prospect of a debut season at Old Trafford that, at the very least, will get tongues wagging.

From next season, Wayne Rooney will wear the No 10 shirt immortalised by players such as Denis Law and Mark Hughes, whose achievements he aims to emulate, but while United fans will hope to see more of the same from the England forward, few know what to expect from Anderson.

Still, United’s title rivals could have been forgiven for emitting a collective groan yesterday after the prodigious Brazil playmaker was granted a work permit that will allow him to play for the champions in the Barclays Premier League next season.

United had their initial application for a work permit for Anderson knocked back late last month on the grounds that the 19-year-old did not have enough international caps. But United were always confident that a Home Office panel would pave the way for him to play next season after arguing that only his youth had prevented him from acquiring more caps and that, given his exceptional talent and the fact that the club were committing up to £20.4 million to sign him from FC Porto, clearance was justified. Coincidentally, Anderson made his international debut in the early hours of Thursday, when he appeared as a second-half substitute in Brazil’s 2-0 defeat by Mexico in the Copa America.

Anderson will not join the rest of the United squad until early to mid-August after Sir Alex Ferguson, the manager, agreed to give the player an extended holiday, with the tournament in Venezuela not finishing until July 15. That is the date when Nani, who joined from Sporting Lisbon at the same time as Anderson, and Giuseppe Rossi, the striker, have been told to return after being involved in the European Under-21 Championship, for Portugal and Italy respectively.

Rossi’s first task will be to seek talks with Ferguson to clarify his future amid interest from, among others, Parma, who have lodged a £6 million bid for the player they sold to United in 2004. Rossi, 20, is contracted to United until 2010.

Most of United’s players, however, will report for pre-season training on Wednesday, including Owen Hargreaves, the England midfield player, who has signed from Bayern Munich for an initial fee of £16.8 million that could rise to £20.2 million, depending on his success at the club.

Rooney has said that he is honoured to have been given the No 10 shirt – last worn by Ruud van Nistelrooy before his departure to Real Madrid – to wear, having held the No 8 jersey since he joined the club three years ago. “When I was offered the chance to wear the No 10 shirt I jumped at it,” he said. “Some of the game’s greatest players have become legends wearing No 10, none more so than Denis Law. He was crowned the King of the Stretford End during his time at the club [from 1962 to 1973] and it is a great honour for me to wear a shirt that has such history behind it.”