Luis Nani | 2012/13 Performances

[wonnie]

Nor was it last season, as I pointed out in my post.

Unless people seriously think Fergie started freezing Nani out at the end of last season, as some kind of pre-emptive strike to get back at him for refusing to sign a contract that hadn't been put in front of him yet?

Only that would be mental...

Nani played fairly often last season and his performances were generally good bar that infamous City away game.

Last season Valencia started ahead of Nani on merit, no argument there.

How do you explain this season then? Even taking injuries into account the lack of appearances is quite evident.

 

[Cina]

Because people don't want to face the truth?

Which is?

Because Valencia starts ahead of Nani?

Yeah but Christ, it's a never rending circle in this thread. As soon as someone mentions the name Valencia around twenty other people come along and argue about who actually did deserve to start and what not. It's so boring.

 

[Rossa]

tbf Rossa, you haven't added anything new.

Tbh Colin, that was never my intention

 

[Hectic]

See I disagree with everything in bold there. Which kind of makes it pointless (not to mention repetitive!) getting into the rest of your post.

As for these contract issues being the only reason Fergie is so reluctant to play him, does that explain why Nani fell out of favour as soon as Valencia regained some fitness last season? I just think Fergie doesn't rate Nani's performances as highly as so many of his fans on here. I remember a caftard called Aaron saying - early last season - that he thought Nani was still inconsistent and flattered to deceiver, predicting that Fergie would drop him as soon as Valencia got going again. He got dog's abuse for his opinion but lo and behold...

It's not as though we don't have any previous evidence that Fergie is willing to give Nani a run of games if he thinks he's playing well enough to deserve them. He was almost a guaranteed starter for 18 months or more after he came of age against Arsenal in January 20120. Seems odd that people assume a manager as competitive as Fergie would deliberately weaken his team, so he can prove a point to one of his players about signing a new contract.

Yeah we probably do differ too much on this to find a common ground. Last season, Valencia was in truly fantastic form. He has not shown a glimpse of that form this entire season. I think Nani tailed off last season, and also the contract would have been a semi-issue back then anyway, but it was as simple as Valencia gaining incredible form, and Nani losing his, which is why Valencia displaced him. Now the difference this season is that Valencia has consistently played poorly, yet that has had almost no bearing on his game time. Even in the games where Nani comes on after being benched for about 5 games, he looks better than Valencia has all month, but the next game he will be a sub again - why?

I would like to hear your thoughts about yesterday though, as I think that's been a typical example this season - Both wingers played, one was clearly much better than the other. Yet, the better one was taken off when we were chasing a goal. Why?

I'm not assuming any reason as to why Fergie is doing it, maybe Nani is just a massive cnut outside of the pitch? But what I do know is that there are contract issues, the manager has spoken about it multiple times and said he thinks he is a game-changer, a game-winner, and one of the best players on the team, all sense points to that being the reason he is not getting games. Guessing how he is playing during training and that seems a massively pointless stick to beat him with given you would have no idea how he performs in training.

Stats wise, Nani has still had the better season than either winger, despite playing 15 games less than Valencia, he still has more goals and assists. Performance wise, I still think, like yesterday, he looks a fair bit above either of them this season so I really can't see how footballing reasons come into it at all.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

Nani played fairly often last season and his performances were generally good bar that infamous City away game.

Last season Valencia started ahead of Nani on merit, no argument there.

How do you explain this season then? Even taking injuries into account the lack of appearances is quite evident.

I just think Nani's been really disappointing this season. I don't think he's played anywhere near enough to nail a place down as a regular starter. I also think Fergie seems to consider playing an out of form Nani far more risky and detrimental to the performance of the team than either of our other two wingers. Which is an opinion I would share, although I know not many people on here would agree.

 

[Hectic]

But that's the thing. You think Nani has had a disappointing season, which is why he couldn't nail down games and become a regular starter. Fair enough. Yet Valencia has been far worse, and not just in random games like Nani, but game after game after game, but has been rewarded with a string of games?

Your point only really makes sense if both Valencia and Young hadn't had the worst seasons of their careers with us. Which they have.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

Yeah we probably do differ too much on this to find a common ground. Last season, Valencia was in truly fantastic form. He has not shown a glimpse of that form this entire season. I think Nani tailed off last season, and also the contract would have been a semi-issue back then anyway, but it was as simple as Valencia gaining incredible form, and Nani losing his, which is why Valencia displaced him. Now the difference this season is that Valencia has consistently played poorly, yet that has had almost no bearing on his game time. Even in the games where Nani comes on after being benched for about 5 games, he looks better than Valencia has all month, but the next game he will be a sub again - why?

I would like to hear your thoughts about yesterday though, as I think that's been a typical example this season - Both wingers played, one was clearly much better than the other. Yet, the better one was taken off when we were chasing a goal. Why?

I'm not assuming any reason as to why Fergie is doing it, maybe Nani is just a massive cnut outside of the pitch? But what I do know is that there are contract issues, the manager has spoken about it multiple times and said he thinks he is a game-changer, a game-winner, and one of the best players on the team, all sense points to that being the reason he is not getting games. Guessing how he is playing during training and that seems a massively pointless stick to beat him with given you would have no idea how he performs in training.

Stats wise, Nani has still had the better season than either winger. Performance wise, I still think, like yesterday, he looks miles above either of them this season so I really can't see how footballing reasons come into it at all.

I didn't think difference is as cut and dried as you think. I thought Nani was very good but faded. Valencia actually got more involved as the game went on. He also did a lot of hard work covering for Rafael - who had an unusually poor game. The decision to take Nani off and leave Valencia on wasn't the massive brain fart that some people seem to think. IMHO.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

But that's the thing. You think Nani has had a disappointing season, which is why he couldn't nail down games and become a regular starter. Fair enough. Yet Valencia has been far worse, and not just in random games like Nani, but game after game after game, but has been rewarded with a string of games?

Your point only really makes sense if both Valencia and Young hadn't had the worst seasons of their careers with us. Which they have.

See the third sentence of the post you quoted.

 

[wonnie]

I just think Nani's been really disappointing this season. I don't think he's played anywhere near enough to nail a place down as a regular starter. I also think Fergie seems to consider playing an out of form Nani far more risky and detrimental to the performance of the team than either of our other two wingers. Which is an opinion I would share, although I know not many people on here would agree.

When has he been 'really' disappointing? He hasn't even played enough games this season to have been disappointing. The disappointing thing is that he hasn't been played often.

I see where you're coming from re: him being a detriment to the whole team.
It's true Valencia offers greater solidarity and reliability, in Fergie's eyes at least I think.

But I think it may have something to do with CM. I think if we get a solid partner for Carrick and are really able to dominate that middle area, it would give Fergie the peace of mind and play Nani on the wings with less worries.

 

[Dr. Dwayne]

Which is?

He hasn't lived up to expectations, neither the club's nor his own.

He hasn't achieved any sort of consistency. Say what you will about actual match opportunities but consistency is made on the training ground and a player's selection will be based on how consistent their training ground performances are.

He hasn't matured in his thinking. I am lothe to compare and it's certainly an unfair one but look at Cristiano Ronaldo for an example of a player's thought process and decision making maturing from one season to the next. Nani continues to make poor decisions after how many seasons?

 

[Cina]

Oh ok, yeah I completely disagree with everything you've said there.

 

[Cutch]

Yeah we probably do differ too much on this to find a common ground. Last season, Valencia was in truly fantastic form. He has not shown a glimpse of that form this entire season. I think Nani tailed off last season, and also the contract would have been a semi-issue back then anyway, but it was as simple as Valencia gaining incredible form, and Nani losing his, which is why Valencia displaced him. Now the difference this season is that Valencia has consistently played poorly, yet that has had almost no bearing on his game time. Even in the games where Nani comes on after being benched for about 5 games, he looks better than Valencia has all month, but the next game he will be a sub again - why?

I would like to hear your thoughts about yesterday though, as I think that's been a typical example this season - Both wingers played, one was clearly much better than the other. Yet, the better one was taken off when we were chasing a goal. Why?

I'm not assuming any reason as to why Fergie is doing it, maybe Nani is just a massive cnut outside of the pitch? But what I do know is that there are contract issues, the manager has spoken about it multiple times and said he thinks he is a game-changer, a game-winner, and one of the best players on the team, all sense points to that being the reason he is not getting games. Guessing how he is playing during training and that seems a massively pointless stick to beat him with given you would have no idea how he performs in training.

Stats wise, Nani has still had the better season than either winger, despite playing 15 games less than Valencia, he still has more goals and assists. Performance wise, I still think, like yesterday, he looks a fair bit above either of them this season so I really can't see how footballing reasons come into it at all.

1) Nani has played less games than Valencia in recent weeks so i would expect him to not be quite as match fit.

2) Just before Giggs came on we had made a change at right back. To move Nani across would have meant another change at right midfield. Changing your whole right side in a delicately poised game is a bit risky.

3) Jones had just moved to a new position at right back and was on a booking. Valencia would have been considered to do a better job defensively to protect his fullback than Nani would have.

4) Nani's own performance is being overrated. He wasn't THAT good. He was dangerous on the ball but a lot of the time seemed on a completely different wavelength to his teammates.

5) Valencia's performance is being underrated. He wasn't THAT bad. He was underwhelming yes, and his crossing was poor but he put in a good shift up and down and unlike Nani was on the same wavelength as his teammates, except with his final ball.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

When has he been 'really' disappointing? He hasn't even played enough games this season to have been disappointing. The disappointing thing is that he hasn't been played often.

I see where you're coming from re: him being a detriment to the whole team.
It's true Valencia offers greater solidarity and reliability, in Fergie's eyes at least I think.

But I think it may have something to do with CM. I think if we get a solid partner for Carrick and are really able to dominate that middle area, it would give Fergie the peace of mind and play Nani on the wings with less worries.

Yes, I think that's plausible.

 

[Dr. Dwayne]

Oh ok, yeah I completely disagree with everything you've said there.

fair enough. I was going to simply say, "oh shit this isn't the Al Gore thread?" but decided I would make an effort.

He's a nice kid and has a lot of potential but something isn't working for him at the moment.

I'd hate to think his form, or lack of it, is down to the contract dispute but sadly it seems all to common these days.

 

[wonnie]

Yes, I think that's plausible.

Yawn. It all boils down to CM

 

[Ash_G]

He hasn't lived up to expectations, neither the club's nor his own.

He hasn't achieved any sort of consistency. Say what you will about actual match opportunities but consistency is made on the training ground and a player's selection will be based on how consistent their training ground performances are.

He hasn't matured in his thinking. I am lothe to compare and it's certainly an unfair one but look at Cristiano Ronaldo for an example of a player's thought process and decision making maturing from one season to the next. Nani continues to make poor decisions after how many seasons?

I really think his "poor" decisions are completely overplayed. There's no point going over the stats as it's been done to death but his actual output since he's settled in England is really good. Even last season where people said he was average he equalled Valencia's output who was our player of the year.

Sometimes it sounds like if Nani gives the ball away regardless of the context it's a poor decision. It's not always as black and white as that imo, he gets involved more than most in tight areas and sometimes that means you have to play a tougher ball and it won't always come off. That happened once or twice in the game yesterday where it was either a tough pass or a misunderstanding, but that doesn't mean it's a poor choice.

Same with pot shots. If you want a flair player like this then you have to put up with some frustrating moments. That isn't to say he doesn't do some silly stuff but I think that and his defensive work are two things often thrown at him as aspects of his game which aren't great which are quire underrated.

 

[Brwned]

I think part of it's definitely down to our midfield. Part of it's probably down to the fullbacks too. It's the first time under Sir Alex that both first choice fullbacks are better attackers than defenders. It's not just that Nani gives the ball away more than the others but he happily wanders off the wing a lot more than the other two and that leaves us exposed. There were a good few times when he was on the right wing ahead of Valencia. Definitely makes us a more fluid attacking force but there's the downside of either leaving Evra to deal with the entire wing or forcing one of our other forwards to slot in. Rooney had to do that quite a few times against Arsenal and he didn't enjoy it much. Evra finds it hard enough dealing with a winger all on his own a lot of the time so leaving him 2v1 regularly really isn't an option. Of course Nani can play on the right too and I know you love Rafael but he's shown against City and Arsenal that he does need that protection in front of him, IMO, and I think Valencia's discipline and energy has now become under-appreciated just because people hate the idea of a defensive winger. It's a good thing that he still has that solidity in his game even when he's not on form.

 

[Member 39557]

I hope Nani has looked at Gareth Bale's awards and realised that he could/should be making more of his talent!

 

[Care_de_Bobo]

I think it's fair to say we've won/drawn 25 of the 27 Valencia has started despite him, not because of him.

Come on it's not as though he's contributed nothing, he certainly hasn't cost us anyway.

And of the 5 defeats, 3 were against madrid, chelsea and everton. 3 of the most difficult games we have played this season. Can't really use that as a stick to beat him with. The wingers have all been well below par this season.

Well we beat Everton and Chelsea when Valencia started against them and drew with Madrid when neither he nor Nani started. I'm not trying to use this as a stick to beat Nani with, it's more a justification of Sir Alex's decision to persist with Valencia.

For those of us who watch football for entertainment it may be hard to understand why Valencia keeps getting picked ahead of Nani but its Fergie's job to win games and it appears he feels that is more likely to happen when Valencia plays and the stats would appear to back him up in this respect.

 

[Cina]

fair enough. I was going to simply say, "oh shit this isn't the Al Gore thread?" but decided I would make an effort.

He's a nice kid and has a lot of potential but something isn't working for him at the moment.

I'd hate to think his form, or lack of it, is down to the contract dispute but sadly it seems all to common these days.

Heh, I didn't mean that to come across as a dickish post. I've just argued against pretty much all those points you made for the last three years now! I understand why people look at him in that way, I just don't agree myself!

 

[Pogue Mahone]

I think part of it's definitely down to our midfield. Part of it's probably down to the fullbacks too. It's the first time under Sir Alex that both first choice fullbacks are better attackers than defenders. It's not just that Nani gives the ball away more than the others but he happily wanders off the wing a lot more than the other two and that leaves us exposed. There were a good few times when he was on the right wing ahead of Valencia. Definitely makes us a more fluid attacking force but there's the downside of either leaving Evra to deal with the entire wing or forcing one of our other forwards to slot in. Rooney had to do that quite a few times against Arsenal and he didn't enjoy it much. Evra finds it hard enough dealing with a winger all on his own a lot of the time so leaving him 2v1 regularly really isn't an option. Of course Nani can play on the right too and I know you love Rafael but he's shown against City and Arsenal that he does need that protection in front of him, IMO, and I think Valencia's discipline and energy has now become under-appreciated just because people hate the idea of a defensive winger. It's a good thing that he still has that solidity in his game even when he's not on form.

Agree with that and it's not just about being defensive. Rafael's blossomed into a fantastic attacking threat and a large part of that is down to Valencia. Even when he's having one of his days where he never takes on his full-back (disappointingly often, in the season just gone) he can be relied upon to always retain possession and usually pick the right pass for Rafael.

Nani's greatest strength is, in a way, a weakness. His ability to beat players relies on being unpredictable. Which can really feck up full-backs, trying to time a run (as well as irritate the strikers waiting for a cross) I imagine Rafael prefers playing with a player as reliable and (yes) predictable as Valencia, even when he's at his most impotent and lacking in confidence.

 

[Dr. Dwayne]

Heh, I didn't mean that to come across as a dickish post. I've just argued against pretty much all those points you made for the last three years now! I understand why people look at him in that way, I just don't agree myself!

I never thought of it as dickish, don't worry.

 

[amolbhatia50k]

But that doesn't necessarily need to be an issue if we get things right. Both bayern and barca have attacking fullback on either side and yet manage to play attackers out wide that are proper flair players. That's the kind of balance we should look to strike.

 

[Cina]

But that doesn't necessarily need to be an issue if we get things right. Both bayern and barca have attacking fullback on either side and yet manage to play attackers out wide that are proper flair players. That's the kind of balance we should look to strike.

They also have the likes of Busquets, Schweinsteiger, Martinez, Xavi etc in midfield.

We basically have Carrick in midfield by himself whilst Jones runs aimlessly around or Anderson chases after food to eat, so you can understand why SAF is reluctant to play Nani over Valencia at times because Valencia is just so good defensively, even when playing crap.

 

[Member 39557]

But that doesn't necessarily need to be an issue if we get things right. Both bayern and barca have attacking fullback on either side and yet manage to play attackers out wide that are proper flair players. That's the kind of balance we should look to strike.

That's probably what we would be like if any of our wingers could maintain a bit of form/fitness. Hopefully Zaha will start well and increase the competition enough to bring some form out in the others.

 

[Member 39557]

They also have the likes of Busquets, Schweinsteiger, Martinez, Xavi etc in midfield.

We basically have Carrick in midfield by himself whilst Jones runs aimlessly around or Anderson chases after food to eat, so you can understand why SAF is reluctant to play Nani over Valencia at times because Valencia is just so good defensively, even when playing crap.

Would you class Carrick/Cleverly as equally inadequate?

It'll certainly be an interesting summer, Fergie has decisions to make over Anderson's continued presence, Rooney and Jones' positions and Fletcher's potential of playing more than a handful of games. Surely we must get somebody in this summer?

 

[Cina]

Would you class Carrick/Cleverly as equally inadequate?

It'll certainly be an interesting summer, Fergie has decisions to make over Anderson's continued presence, Rooney and Jones' positions and Fletcher's potential of playing more than a handful of games. Surely we must get somebody in this summer?

Well Carrick is great obviously but I wouldn't class Cleverley anywhere near the standard of the aforementioned players, there's no doubting that with the midfield three Bayern and Barca deploy they're far less reliant on their wingers, and even their full backs defensively.

And I won't answer your question because this is the Nani thread, not a midfield thread

 

[Member 39557]

Well Carrick is great obviously but I wouldn't class Cleverley anywhere near the standard of the aforementioned players, there's no doubting that with the midfield three Bayern and Barca deploy they're far less reliant on their wingers, and even their full backs defensively.

And I won't answer your question because this is the Nani thread, not a midfield thread

Sorry, I didn't word that very well. You were saying that Carrick alongside Anderson or Jones wasn't good enough without the support of a more defensively minded winger. I wondered if you felt the same about Carrick and Cleverly as a pair. I then wandered into the never ending midfield debate.

 

[fishfingers15]

See I disagree with everything in bold there. Which kind of makes it pointless (not to mention repetitive!) getting into the rest of your post.

As for these contract issues being the only reason Fergie is so reluctant to play him, does that explain why Nani fell out of favour as soon as Valencia regained some fitness last season? I just think Fergie doesn't rate Nani's performances as highly as so many of his fans on here. I remember a caftard called Aaron saying - early last season - that he thought Nani was still inconsistent and flattered to deceiver, predicting that Fergie would drop him as soon as Valencia got going again. He got dog's abuse for his opinion but lo and behold...

It's not as though we don't have any previous evidence that Fergie is willing to give Nani a run of games if he thinks he's playing well enough to deserve them. He was almost a guaranteed starter for 18 months or more after he came of age against Arsenal in January 20120. Seems odd that people assume a manager as competitive as Fergie would deliberately weaken his team, so he can prove a point to one of his players about signing a new contract.

Or, we could say that YOU post what you want to see.

Are you saying Fergie was lying when he gave an interview at the start of the season saying Nani's place in the team was purely down to his contract not being sorted out?

It's fair to say that Nani isn't your favourite player in the team. I also remember you saying Nani was facing his make or break season, while Berbatov wasn't facing a season like that, in spite of very similar output to the team. Of course, this is my opinion, but lo and behold.. you again seem to brush aside the alternate view that Fergie may yet see Nani's future in this team.

 

[Cina]

Or, we could say that YOU post what you want to see.

Are you saying Fergie was lying when he gave an interview at the start of the season saying Nani's place in the team was purely down to his contract not being sorted out?

It's fair to say that Nani isn't your favourite player in the team. I also remember you saying Nani was facing his make or break season, while Berbatov wasn't facing a season like that, in spite of very similar output to the team. Of course, this is my opinion, but lo and behold.. you again seem to brush aside the alternate view that Fergie may yet see Nani's future in this team.

Did this happen?

 

[Will Absolute]

That he still hasn't signed a contract? Nani, despite playing considerably less games than either player has still looked better than both. Bar about 2-3 games (Chelsea being the worst), he's comfortably looked better. That's actually the whole point of this, he is playing better than both of them. Take yesterday as a perfect example. Who was the better winger? Nani. Yet, who was subbed off? Nani. It's too simple to say because he hasn't played as much, it must be down to form in games or training - One, you have no idea what he's performing like in training, two, we've seen Valencia play multiple games in total shit form and still get consistent starts. There is no question that the worst performances from our wingers have come from Young and Valencia, and both have had a lot more "terrible" games than Nani, yet both are getting games.

I think there is no question he is being dropped/hardly being played due to the contract situation. Do you honestly think that had he signed a contract say, before the season had started, he would have had the games he has had, considering the form Valencia and Young have shown over their games? Of course not.



We've been here before. You can't play a player like Nani, on one game every few weeks, or a sub here and a sub there and expect consistency and a solid performance, it's just not going to happen. I've used the Rooney example before, Valencia is also another good one - Both players are played through their bad form because they need games and time on the pitch to build that form up, Nani is no exception. Even then, without runs of games and consistent starts, he still (like yesterday), produces better form than Valencia who has had the luxury of a big run of games. Factor in the injuries this season too, he's needed a run of games more than ever. The only run he really had resulted in him getting a start for Madrid. You can't say it's a shame he hasn't put in better performances in training because you, like everyone else, has zero idea how he perfoms in training. Stick to what you do know - there is a contract dispute and it's likely this is the reason he has barely featured, especially considering as a whole this has been the worst collective performances by our wingers outside of Nani in a season too. If there were no contract issues, he probably would have played more games this season than he has in a season before.

I might be wrong here but he's also achieved a higher end product as Valencia or Young with about half the number of the games, and a lot of those coming as subs.

Excellent post.

 

[Beachryan]

It's also worth considering what Fergie uses his wingers for these days, and how the formation accommodates them.

When we had Ronaldo firing on full cylinders, it usually meant sacrifice somewhere else: that weird asymmetric formation with no properly wide left player or the 'defensive winger' in Ji-Sung Park. That was largely due to Ronaldo being the key 'risk-taker' in the team - he'd try something attacking every time, and often it failed, which required the rest of the team to be able to adjust to being out of position/losing the ball.

Over the last 2 seasons Fergie has become way more focussed on keeping the ball - our retention stats have gone up over that time too. Instead of relying on a 'mercurial' winger to roll the dice - which Nani is great at - we are scoring more goals from wearing down opposition and being efficient, rather than taking lots of risks.

What is ironic is that everyone is drooling over Dortmund's performance against Madrid - but that's exactly the kind of tactic that Nani would be great in. Soak up pressure, and then break with 3 or 4 players that are technically good enough to best oppositions' superior number of defenders. With Rooney, Nani and someone like Kagawa we have that.

But with the reliance/focus on RVP, it's clear that we're now playing slower, more controlled and more 'dominant but sterile' football than years past (first 2 months of this season aside). We actually create less chances, have less touches in the final third and have less attacking dribbles than last year. But we're ruthless, score lots of corners and barely ever lose the ball in dangerous ways.

Valencia (and Young, somewhat) are wide players that work in that system. Nani is a risk-taker, a wild-card and it seems in today's United Fergie doesn't have room for that kind of romantic idea.

 

[Red Defence]

I see lots of different reasons on here for Nani not been picked to play for us.

Perhaps he's just this season's freeze-out, just as Berba was last season's freeze-out. Freezing them out is the only way to make them miserable enough to be reluctant to sign and eventually feel they have little choice but to leave.

There are always "contract issues" when Fergie decides not to keep a player and I suspect Nani is not for keeping, regardless of what the manager says. I've noticed over the years that if he genuinely wants to keep players their contracts go through very smoothly.

 

[Ash_G]

I'd agree that not having two solid midfielders does make it harder for Nani/team but I wouldn't agree so much on him drifting causing issues for the likes of Rooney. That's pretty similar to the Villa game where Giggs and Kagawa frequently swapped and isn't really anything particularly new, it's just that off the 3 main wingers we have Nani is the only one either really inclined or capable of doing so.

Personally I think we're better for that movement as it gives more dimensions to our game. Whether it's with Nani next season or someone else I think to take our attacking game up we need to see at least 3 of the front 4 attackers showing more interchange more often and I actually thought in the game it worked nicely in the second half with RVP, Rooney and Nani swapping.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

Or, we could say that YOU post what you want to see.

Are you saying Fergie was lying when he gave an interview at the start of the season saying Nani's place in the team was purely down to his contract not being sorted out?

It's fair to say that Nani isn't your favourite player in the team. I also remember you saying Nani was facing his make or break season, while Berbatov wasn't facing a season like that, in spite of very similar output to the team. Of course, this is my opinion, but lo and behold.. you again seem to brush aside the alternate view that Fergie may yet see Nani's future in this team.

Did you read the post you quoted? I never said the contract issues were irrelevant, just that they're not the only reason. Especially when you take last season into account.

As for my previous point about Nani's make or break season, he stepped up half way through. So that was "make", rather than break. What's your point anyway? How is that relevant to what's going on now?

 

[fishfingers15]

Did you read the post you quoted? I never said the contract issues were irrelevant, just that they're not the only reason. Especially when you take last season into account.

As for my previous point about Nani's make or break season, he stepped up half way through. So that was "make", rather than break. What's your point anyway? How is that relevant to what's going on now?

The point being you tend to be extra harsh towards Nani, while allowing more mitigating excuses for other players. This could be because you rate Nani much and feel let down when he doesn't produce enough end product too, but then again, as I said, it's my view based on reading your posts.

 

[LR7]

Ferguson also stated he hopes Nani, who is in contract discussions, remains at the club. "We have no plans to sell anyone. That's a fact," he said. "There is no need for us to sell. He played last week at Arsenal and I thought he did well. He had a hamstring injury. He is one of our squad players. When he is in form there are very few better than him. So I think we will bring him back in pre-season training and he will be all right."

Regarding whether Nani will sign on again, Ferguson said: "That is not my department. It is something David [Gill, the chief executive] and Jorge Mendes [the player's agent] are working on. That is ongoing. But there is no progress as far as I know."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2013/may/03/alex-ferguson-rafael-benitez-manchester-united

Will be unfortunate IMO if Nani doesn't stay but it's looking increasingly unlikely despite SAFs recent supportive comments of him. I think the fact that SAF sees him as a squad player might be the sticking point but he does admit on form he's one of our best so it'd be up to Nani to regain the type of form that makes it impossible for SAF to drop him. Some may argue he hasn't had a run of games to be able to do that, others may say its too little too late. Personally I'd like to see him stay and fight.

 

[Platato]

We're trying to get a CM

 

[LR7]

We're trying to get a CM

We could convert Nani... Wait... No...

 

[Raoul]

Wonder if Gill and Mendes' discussions may also center on other Mendes clients.