Report by Caroline Hunt
As one door slams shut, ending Cristiano Ronaldo's OT career, here’s to another swinging wide open.Ronny wasn’t United’s only fleet-footed wide player with a rocket of a shot in his locker, and attack permanently on his mind, and Nani, after last season’s bench-warming nightmare, has already made it plain he feels he can fill his compatriot’s boots. So could 09/10 finally be his breakthrough season? Well, freed from operating in the shadow of the World Player of the Year, there’s absolutely no reason why not.
Last season, on the rare occasions when Nani got the nod, the pressure showed. His desire to shine was painfully obvious, but more often than not his desperation to showcase his individual talent ended in him overcooking it. Now, though, the shackles should be off. He just needs to realise he doesn’t have to do it all on his own every time; with his vim and vigour incorporated within the Reds’ mind-boggling attacking play, he can play a massive part.
Of course, that could all change should Antonio Valencia saunter down the road from the JJB. But despite recent reports suggesting that Sir Alex might be prepared to let the Portuguese winger swap places with Valencia, the Reds boss saw enough in the then-20-year-old to prise him away from Sporting Lisbon two years ago, and after the last campaign, insisted that the Portuguese wide player was still very much part of United’s future.
“The form of Park has been absolutely outstanding and most of the time has kept Nani out of the team,” said the gaffer. “Getting a consistent run has really been the problem for him and then he got a little injury. But he will be here next season and he will do very well for us.”
It should also be remembered that not even Ronaldo swept all before him right from the off. In his inaugural United season he hit four league goals in 15 starts, figures not far removed from Nani’s three in 16.
Admittedly, Nani finished last season with just a single league strike to his name, but to be fair, he only started seven games. And while he’s got plenty of pace, he’s not your quintessential impact-off-the-bench type of player – which is unfortunate, as with the likes of Darren Fletcher and (as the boss pointed out) Ji-sung Park in flying form, the bench was as good as it got for large chunks of Nani's season.
Nani could also probably have done without Ryan Giggs apparently discovering the elixir of neverending footballing life. No-one could have imagined that the Reds’ record-breaker would plough a furrow for as many minutes last season as he did. But time is one thing most definitely on Nani’s side, and with perhaps a little better luck, plus more of the patience he’s already shown by the bucketload, his time may be about to come.
Ronaldo Mk II? Perhaps not, but Nani Mk I could be a force in his own right…
The views expressed in this blog are personal to the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Manchester United FC.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Nani
