Sir Alex Ferguson says he never viewed Nani as being in the shadow of Portugal team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo.
GettyImagesNani wheels away in delight
Nani has often had to battle against comparisons with his more well-known international and former club
team-mate. Even last term when he finished top of the Premier League assist charts in
addition to grabbing nine goals, Nani found it impossible to force his way into Ferguson’s Champions League final starting line-up.
There were plenty of observers who felt the Portugal international would
abandon the Red Devils this summer in an effort to avoid such disappointments in future. However, Nani remains within the United fold and at Wembley yesterday scored twice to help his side emerge victorious in their Community Shield tussle with rivals
Manchester City.
“He is only in Ronaldo’s shadow because he is Portuguese,”
Ferguson said.
“That is the only link I can see. He was never in his shadow in my mind. He has always had great potential but some players take longer to mature than
others.
“Ronaldo was an exception. He was an incredible footballer. He matured
immediately, from 18 until he left us.
“Nani had a fantastic season last year. He was unfortunate that Antonio
Valencia came in at a time when we needed a bit of freshness and a boost to the
squad. But you have seen Nani’s form in pre-season and again yesterday. He will
start the season.”