Nani
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Wasted talent.
So you don't want him back anymore?
Rose tinted specs are great.
I remember clearly before he left he was lambasted almost weekly by United fans, lazy, inconsistent, wasteful. You were glad to see the back of him. Rival fans wanted him to stay
Personally still am glad to see him at another team. I really liked Nani and he was a worthy man united winger. His inconsistent form just really frustrated me.
I'd still have him but he is going into his thirties now and his best attributes will start to decline so that ships sailed.
Amazing how many Goals he scored with his left foot.
I remember laughing at my Spurs Mate because we pinched lvg away from them, he had the last laugh tho
To be fair most wingers are inconsistent.
He's just way too inconsistent. He's either really good or plain trash. For a United level team he can't be a starting winger because you never know when he'll just turn to being trash for months.
Always loved Nani.
On his day he was unplayable.
On his day he was unplayable.
Rose tinted specs are great.
I remember clearly before he left he was lambasted almost weekly by United fans, lazy, inconsistent, wasteful. You were glad to see the back of him. Rival fans wanted him to stay
That's a very limited perspective on things. Nani generally divided opinions but for a 2-year period (2010-2012) he was recognised by the vast majority of United players as being one of the best players in the league. Over the next two seasons he suffered a lot of injury issues and never got back into the swing of things - hamstring issues kept him out for 3 months of Sir Alex's last season, then groin and hamstring issues kept him out for almost 4 months in Moyes' first season. After that point he decided to move on, and he demonstrated his quality in the Euros by helping lead his country to their first international tournament win as the joint-2nd top scorer in the competition and as the (substitute) captain in the final itself.
So yes, by the end of things there were quite a few people that were happy to get rid of him. Lots still wanted to keep him too. I'd say most were just disappointed how things ended.
Trash a bit harsh, but i get what you are saying and i don't disagree for the most part. But to be honest i would have still preferred to have an inconsistent Nani to most of the ''wide'' players we have had since Fergie retired. For all his faults he is a genuine winger and creative.
Nani was a triffic player. One of my favourite players during that era.
Ferguson didn't seem to trust him during the later years either - he wasn't just injured a lot, he was also benched quite a bit and at the time a lot of us felt he wasn't getting the fair run of games that he deserved. It is a shame because he is/was a really gifted player
Well we won plenty with him so there's that.
Bring him back.
Post Fergie we haven't had any good proper wingers. Di Maria was one I'd say but no one else since I don't really count Martial/Rashford as proper wingers the way Nani was. I just could not trust Nani to lead our line up as a key attacking player and with his style of play I don't see him being a squad player.
I appreciate Nani for what he did and I liked him a lot while he was here but it got to the point where I was just too frustrated with him. Maybe it was because every time he had a few months of amazing performances I thought to myself this is it, he's going to be Europe's top winger now but he'd go back to his poor performances.
I believe it was the right time for us to let him go.
We did but was he ever the main attacking outlet? We also won plenty with Anderson. Nani was way better but there's a reason we moved on.
He was a brilliant player for us. We won so much with him.
Underrated I'd say.
Underrated I'd say.
Overall quality of those goals is ridiculous tbh.
seconded
What a player, did well when played on the right wing. Somehow, SAF preferred him on the left.
NnnanannnnnnnnNanananananananannananannannnananananananananananananananananananananananananananananananananananananananannananananananananananannananananananananananananananananananannanananananananiiiiiiiiii.
I'm a big fan of Nani in spite of the inconsistency he had at times
we needed a winger, ideally who can play left or right, who can beat a man.....
I thought he would have been a good short term solution - ended up on loan at Lazio
we needed a winger, ideally who can play left or right, who can beat a man.....
I thought he would have been a good short term solution - ended up on loan at Lazio
While I have a soft spot for Nani, can't argue with this too much. There was however a solid season and a half or so (maybe just less) where I think he was one of the best wingers in the world.
I'm a Nani fanboy. I have always defended him. I got no complaints about his time at Sporting and in our NT. His performances in the last Euro's made me appreciate him even more. I hope he does well at Lazio. I wanted him back but it was something sentimental since we are well sorted at the wings.
Man, you are strange.
Yeah probably was the right time for him to go, but our problem has been we never really replaced him. And as you said above we haven't had any proper wingers since Nani, United without top wingers is a bit strange for me. I think it has also been one of the main causes of our in ability to break teams down the last few years.
Absolutely loved Nani, he was treated far too harshly. It's funny but since we've left our wingers have made him look world class. If we had a young prime Nani right now on the right wing we'd be absolutely flying.
His speed, skill, work ethic, shooting on both feet and crossing were at a high level. Yes he wasn't perfect but he was a big part of our success over those last Fergie years.
Unfortunately I think he always suffered being a "poor mans Ronaldo" in Fergies eyes.
The year when we had Rooney,Berbatov and Nani (was it 10/11?) was a joy to watch. Our home win to Blackburn I think it was had some absolutely fantastic football.
His speed, skill, work ethic, shooting on both feet and crossing were at a high level. Yes he wasn't perfect but he was a big part of our success over those last Fergie years.
Unfortunately I think he always suffered being a "poor mans Ronaldo" in Fergies eyes.
The year when we had Rooney,Berbatov and Nani (was it 10/11?) was a joy to watch. Our home win to Blackburn I think it was had some absolutely fantastic football.
Hahahahaha!I remember laughing at my Spurs Mate because we pinched lvg away from them, he had the last laugh tho
A quality player and an absolute bargain for the £14 million at the time. The return on the investment was very high. Compare his time and contribution here to somebody like Ashley Young, roundly lauded as some sort of £18 million utility full back and resident in-club DJ, and you'll realise how absurd the expectations of Nani (at times) were.
Plenty of goals, lots of assists, huge performances against some excellent sides and a Champions League final penalty kick to boot. Nani's time here is given nowhere near the credit it really merits.
Plenty of goals, lots of assists, huge performances against some excellent sides and a Champions League final penalty kick to boot. Nani's time here is given nowhere near the credit it really merits.
I think the problem started when he didn't play a cl final when he was in form and one of United's best players that season
Ferguson always preferred Valencia on the right to Nani when both were fit and on form. As a result Nani often had to play on the left to accomodate Valencia which I believe was a position he was far less effective in.
It's a shame he missed the World Cup in 2010. He was in great form and was a huge miss.
I'm a huge fan, very fun to watch on his day and I'm happy he came back to play in Lisbon one more season.
I'm a huge fan, very fun to watch on his day and I'm happy he came back to play in Lisbon one more season.
Always felt his name worked against him. Sounded like a late 70s/early 80s Brazilian midfield attacker, therefore expectations disappointed.
Good player, great talent and scorer of some outrageous goals. Like many here, there's no way I'd have him back at United.
His decision making was terrible, in shoot vs pass situations. Also i thought he was selfish and looked a bit too much at personal glory.
Will always look back at his display vs Arsenal with great fondness though. If only he could deliver more consistently.
His decision making was terrible, in shoot vs pass situations. Also i thought he was selfish and looked a bit too much at personal glory.
Will always look back at his display vs Arsenal with great fondness though. If only he could deliver more consistently.
Well... he's won the European Championships, the Champions League, the Premier League four times, The League Cup twice, the Portuguese Cup twice, and the Club World Cup. He has 110 international caps and 24 international goals, and has represented his country at four major international tournaments, winning one, and he has played for the greatest club in the world, earning a fortune in the process.
So, he'll probably not think he's wasted his talent, all things considered.
Strange i thought the opposite. At times especially his early seasons i felt he too often passed when he should have shot himself, he did get more confident with his shooting particularly on his left which was a bit weird considering he was right footed. His assist record for us doesn't exactly scream selfish either
He was a great player. Contextualise his stats and influence he had on our team with the wingers in the league right now and he'd stick right amongst the top tier.
A young Nani would be worth a fortune these days. The combination of physical attributes, two footed, dribbling abilities and at times decent playmaking abilities made him very hard to defend against. Ultimately, he may have had a slightly underwhelming career considering his talent being probably right up there with Ronaldo, and he showed for a season and a half the he was top five wingers in Europe (arguably top three for a period), and then he tailed off a little. Obviously, his career is incredibly good, but he was always compared to Ronaldo, Robben, Ribery, Giggs etc, and he would always be a little behind those either for longevity or absolute peak.
All I remember is how Rooney used to screech at him....Rooney wanted Valencia on the right, to just cross balls in.
Always thought that's where the bad press came from.
Always thought that's where the bad press came from.