Nani : Too Arrogant For United?

Luís Carlos Almeida da Cunha (born 17 November 1986), commonly known as Nani is a Portuguese player who currently plays for Manchester United. He once played for Sporting and was bought for a whopping 25 million pounds. He is a right footed winger and can play on either flank. He made his international debut in September 2006 and has gone on to make 62 appearances for the Portuguese national team, scoring thirteen goals.

To a United fan, Nani was a beacon of hope. Ronaldo was gone, but we had Nani. The fact that he played at the same position, and had some of the same qualities heightened the comparison. Nani lived up to the hype for some time churning out some great passes, scoring a few long rangers with Alex Ferguson saying, “Maturity is why we’re seeing the best of him now, his last three games have been absolutely first class but today was his best.” When at his best, Nani is one of the better players in the world. He is a brilliant classical winger, a faster and crisper version of West Brom’s Chris Brunt. He can run down the flank, he can give a lot of trouble to full-backs , he can deliver a great cross, play the one-twos and even score goals.

But that is, when he is at his best. He is not consistent, does not contribute to the defense, and when the going gets tough he seems disinterested. All that is completely all right. We have seen him play such glorious football that we could tolerate some mediocrity, but his massive ego and the fact that he believes himself to be better than everyone else, make him too arrogant for United.

The recent “accident” involving Nani in which he allegedly punched David Pettrucci might be the last accident he will have at United. For Sir Alex Ferguson will not tolerate this kind of behaviour. If what the Daily Mail is saying really happened, then it just might be curtains for Nani. Nani is no stranger to controversy, He has been accused of “show-boating”, and “having a big head ” by some players. Also, his extraordinarily large wage demands and extraordinarily poor form will not help him lengthen his stay at Old Trafford. The gaffer has sold Beckham and Ronaldo at their respective primes and would not hesitate to sell Nani off if the accusations are proved and Nani’s game does not improve.

Then there is the fact that Sir Alex who will have to retire in a couple of years and would like to bring in as many wonder-kids as he can so that the future remains secure. And Nani, unfortunately, is not getting any younger. Unless and until he realizes that there are 10 other men in the team, there is very little hope for him. SAF is not known for tolerating, well, anything. As long as he is there, the club will be run the way he wants it to be run. If David Beckham could be sold because the boss did not like his attitude than Nani should also have no illusions about his future.

Agreed, that losing Nani will be a big blow. A very big blow, as Ashley Young is not as good as Nani and equally inconsistent as well as injury prone. But that does not mean that we are short of options. Buttner, for one, can be groomed to play at left wing. And Robbie Brady is a star in the making.

No United faithful would like to lose Nani, because on his day he can give any defense loads of problems and with his uncanny habit of creating chances for the strikers with great crosses, he is one hell of an asset. A dynamic player, in the true sense of the word. But the question remains, will his big head get in the way of his great feet? Will his ego be his downfall? Only time will tell.