[RedForceRising]

In the summer of 2007, I only had two players on my wish list in addition to Owen Hargreaves - Fernando Torres and Nani.

While the capture of both Anderson, as well as Carlos Tevez were a nice surprise, it was the capture of Nani that had me really smiling.

Now, hoever, I'm not sure if my enthusiasm was warranted.

During that summer, Sir Alex and Carlos Queiroz chose not to move for other good left wingers that were avilable like Martin Petrov, Ryan Babel, Flourent Malouda and Franck Ribery, because they had decided to move for Nani.

To me this signaled incredible belief in the youngster.

Nani went on to have the best season out of the left wingers that joined the premiership that summer and also had the most impact on his team, which led to the Premier League and Champions League double.

Even though Nani did make a lot of telling contributions, a lot of fans rightfully had several complaints about Nani, not least of which were his team work and maturity.

Now, regardless of whether or not Nani becomes the player we hope he can and the player his talent should allow him to becomes, I get the feeling that he does not intend to stay at Old Trafford for the long haul.

Along with Anderson, Nani enjoys a close friendship with Ronaldo and when Nani arrived at OT, his intial interviews had a lot of references to "the best player in the world".

When Ronaldo finally leaves, how happy will Nani and Anderson be to stick around without their ring leader?

I don't have a crystal ball, but it doesn't take a big leap of imagination to deduce that without Ronaldo's presence, Nani would be inclined to leave soon after.

In addition, Nani is not a left-footed player and always needs to adjust his body to put in a cross. He is very fast, but his acceleration is actually not that great, so it needs a couple of yards to really get going and instead of using his pace to get past players when he finally is full stride, his natural style is to stop and try to pull some flashy trick.

For these reasons, I do not think that Nani will or can be our long-term solution on the left wing. It is still early days and he will be here for a few seasons yet, but I think it would prudent management to start looking seriously at some left-footed wingers.

Park Ji-Sung can do a good job on the left, but i would say he is more of a tenacious midfielder than a winger, who can run the flanks and whip in a cross.


In general, good left wingers seem to be in rather short supply, so I'd be interested to see who you guys think can be the long-term replacement of Ryan Giggs.

Do you think Nani will prove me wrong and stay - long after Ronnie has left?
Will he develop into a world beater or will he be an expensive flop?

Who do you think are the best left-footed wingers in the game, who are realistic targets and would love to ply their trade at OT?

 

[dlan4327]

Well Sebastian Giovinco can play left wing... Wishful thinking, right? Hmm... Left wing, left wing...

I don't like Malouda. Martin Petrov is awesome although would Man City ever sell to us especially now that they don't need the cash?

There's also the fact that Petrov might see a move to Man Utd as disloyal to Man City.


My only hope is that with Robinho & Wright Philips he might end up with llimited playing time which could see him look for a move to us.

Frank Ribery is probably the best left winger out there at the moment. Either him or Robinho I guess & I prefer Ribery.

I suppose Marcelo could be regarded as more of a left winger than a full back because he's not a very good defender.

 

[Jesus Hitler]

good thread and good write up

david silva for me, although he can play more central i still beleive his best position is left wing right?

hense why we had that bid for him this summer? please stop me if im wrong

if not silva i have to so Ribery or ashley young there both great talents and id lean more toward young cause he's a young bright english talent and one would hope cost's less than Ribery

but nani mite make it although i have my doubts only time shall tell

 

[Ritesh MU]

I can see in my crystal ball Nani will be a great winger he will score more 10 goals this season.

Ronaldo stay or leave he will be with the champion for more years.

 

[moondog]

Regardless of his progress as a player, you are right, Nani will leave when (or soon after) cr does. I hope that anderson does not decide to do the same.

I get the feeling he won't (no crystal ball tho)...I love what ando brings to United.

 

[zoran_zlatanov]

I am not sure if you know that Martin Petrov is Berbatov's best fried. They feel so good together on the pitch. They are the best players in Bulgarian national team and it is always very difficult for opponents defense when both of them are on the pitch. He gives him just perfect balls. So for me Martin Petrov is the best choice if Berbatov plays. But Petrov is even older that Berbatov so this could be only a short-term choice. Maybe 2-3 more years only. So for a long-term i will pick Ryan Babel.

 

[RedForceRising]

Well Sebastian Giovinco can play left wing... Wishful thinking, right? Hmm... Left wing, left wing...


Frank Ribery is probably the best left winger out there at the moment. Either him or Robinho I guess & I prefer Ribery.

I suppose Marcelo could be regarded as more of a left winger than a full back because he's not a very good defender.

- I love Franck Ribery and he actually would be available, because Bayern cannot afford to resist a big money offer for their players.

By Marcelo, you mean Madrid left back? I haven't see much of him, so i can't comment.

Sebastian Giovinco is going to be a world beater. If I were Fergie, I'd try to sign him right now., before his contract negotiations are finalized. I would play him as an attacking midfielder though, where he can be a maestro and conduct beautiful football.

good thread and good write up

david silva for me, although he can play more central i still beleive his best position is left wing right?

hense why we had that bid for him this summer? please stop me if im wrong

if not silva i have to so Ribery or ashley young there both great talents and id lean more toward young cause he's a young bright english talent and one would hope cost's less than Ribery

but nani mite make it although i have my doubts only time shall tell

Thanks!

David Silva is a good shout and an obvious one. You are right that Man Utd put in a bid for him and I wouldn;t mind him at all. He isn't the finished article yet either though.

Ashley Young needs to be bought, he is probably my fave player outside the prem's top 4. I would prefer him on the right though and a natural left footer for the left wing.

 

[RedForceRising]

I am not sure if you know that Martin Petrov is Berbatov's best fried. They feel so good together on the pitch. They are the best players in Bulgarian national team and it is always very difficult for opponents defense when both of them are on the pitch. He gives him just perfect balls. So for me Martin Petrov is the best choice if Berbatov plays. But Petrov is even older that Berbatov so this could be only a short-term choice. Maybe 2-3 more years only. So for a long-term i will pick Ryan Babel.

I wasn't aware that they are best mates, but I know they have got great on-field chemistry. Just before Man Utd signed him, he scored for Bulgaria's National Team with a header and the cross was supplied by Petrov.

You;re right about his age though and he couldn't be considered to be a long-term replacement. Fergie really should have encouraged Ryan Giggs to have a few love children down the years. Maybe one out of ten of them would have turned out to be a great footballer .

 

[abojodeh]

Nani And Anderson will stay for a long time mark my words

we have an Portuguese AKA Brazilian atmosphere between the players

Manucho Nani Ronaldo Rafael Fabio Anderson Possebon and even if Slave leaves there will be many Portuguese AKA Brazilian players i our team

you can that Portuguese language is the club's second language especially if Carlos had stayed

 

[RedForceRising]

Nani And Anderson will stay for a long time mark my words

we have an Portuguese AKA Brazilian atmosphere between the players

Manucho Nani Ronaldo Rafael Fabio Anderson Possebon and even if Slave leaves there will be many Portuguese AKA Brazilian players i our team

you can that Portuguese language is the club's second language especially if Carlos had stayed

Welcome back, Abo!

Good point about there being a lot of Portuguese. It could work out that way, but Nani, Anderson and Ronaldo are very close. Closer than the rest.

Good to see a positive perspective on it though. It would be nice, if nani stays long after Ronnie is gone.

p.s. Behave later during the game, ok?

 

[piazza]

Drenthe. Rumor is, he's upset about his lack of playing time at Real. He's got loads of talent, and a crazy good shot. Plus, unlike Nani his crossing is consistent.

 

[abojodeh]

Welcome back, Abo!

Good point about there being a lot of Portuguese. It could work out that way, but Nani, Anderson and Ronaldo are very close. Closer than the rest.

Good to see a positive perspective on it though. It would be nice, if nani stays long after Ronnie is gone.

p.s. Behave later during the game, ok?

Good news to the mods i won't be home at match time as i will watch it with my mates

have a spam free matchday thread

 

[RedForceRising]

Drenthe. Rumor is, he's upset about his lack of playing time at Real. He's got loads of talent, and a crazy good shot. Plus, unlike Nani his crossing is consistent.

I've only seen him once as a sub last season.

Didn't make much of an impression.

How's his pace? I thought he was more of a left back than a winger.

 

[Jay007]

With about a week to go to the transfer window closed, I said that a striker was essential and a winger was desirable.

And looking at the situation now, I honestly believe we could do with another winger.

Ronaldo is a certainty to start unless hes being rested, hes injured or suspended. But the other wing, whether that be the right or left, is really anybodies guess.

The candidates are Nani, Park and Giggs. Hargreaves is a good winger, and can do a job there, but I would much rather see him in central midfield.

Now Sir Alex has said that Giggs will be playing centrally, and Giggs only has a season or two left in him anyway, so long-term hes not the option. So that leaves Park and Nani.

I'm really starting to lose patience with Nani. He has a lot of talent, no doubt, but he has too many flaws. He's far too inconsistent, greedy, his final ball is generally poor when he does try one, his behaviour and attitude is very poor and he doesn't work hard enough. Sure hes young, and people compare him to Ronaldo when Ronaldo first came over.

But the fact is, Nani is 3 years older than Ronaldo was. He should be more progressed than Ronaldo was, and quite frankly hes playing in a better team than Ronaldo was at the time. His performances should be better than they are, and more regular. And in all honesty, if we don't see considerable progress from him this season, I'll start to question whether hes worth the money and whether hes worth a place in the squad.

Harsh? Possibly. But I'm only assessing what I see, and its not a lot atm.

And then Park. I'm a big fan of Park. He works hard, hes more consistent, he does whats best for the team, he has the ability to produce a great through ball and actually has a better final ball on him than people realise. But again, I don't think we can play him all the time. I think he's treated quite unfairly at times. Hes usually the first to be substituted no matter how well hes playing, and hes dropped a lot even when hes on a good run.

But, with the amount of games and the way we play, I think we need another type of winger. Park has a future here, but its through rotation with the other wingers imo. I think Park is a must to play in the big games though, against the Chelseas, Liverpools, Arsenals, Barcelonas etc etc. I think Park and Ronaldo should also be our no 1 choice of wing partnership throughout the Champions League campaign.

I would suggest that we sign a winger in January if we are going to give Nani plenty of time to progress. Perhaps a cheaper option, like an Antonio Valencia for example.

But if Nani doesn't show must progress by the time next summer comes around, I think we need to take a serious look at better, more expensive wingers, such as David Silva.

 

[Banana-rama]

I think this is a good subject, I think we are certainly in need of another top quality winger. We spent 17 million on Nani which is about the same as what Bayern paid for Ribery, Nani looks worth nowhere near 17 million whereas Ribery would cost twice as much if you tried to buy him now.

Why the hell did we buy Nani instead of Ribery????? Ribery had already showed his awesome talent with France at that stage whereas Nani was only good potential, you have to say it was a costly error of judgement that I still can not understand. I was begging for us to sign Ribery that summer on every United forum. But anyway it is time to move on and I would suggest Aiden McGeady, he is quick and very skillful and can play on either wing, he is playing in the SPL where there is not alot of money so im sure we could get him for under 10 million. Also there is Schweinsteiger who's contract runs out at the end of the season so he would be a great signing on a free transfer.

 

[piazza]

I've only seen him once as a sub last season.

Didn't make much of an impression.

How's his pace? I thought he was more of a left back than a winger.

He was a left back for a while, until Marcelo came around and then once Robben got injured they used him on the wing mainly. His pace is in all honesty, pretty blistering. He's got a pretty good touch on the ball too. The first two of these vids show skills and his pace, the third shows his shot.

 

[Jay007]

He was a left back for a while, until Marcelo came around and then once Robben got injured they used him on the wing mainly. His pace is in all honesty, pretty blistering. He's got a pretty good touch on the ball too. The first two of these vids show skills and his pace, the third shows his shot.

I saw Drenthe play in the U-21 European Championships, and I thought he was incredible.

I'm not sure where he was playing. I think he played in CM in on of the games, but played on the left in most of the tournament.

When he went to Real Madrid, I wasn't that happy that we didn't make a move for him because I thought he was fantastic.

If he isn't happy at Madrid, I see no harm in going for him. Only question is whether Real Madrid would want to deal with us.

 

[piazza]

If he isn't happy at Madrid, I see no harm in going for him. Only question is whether Real Madrid would want to deal with us.

Well if they had any scruples (lmao), they for sure owe us a couple. Ruud, Gabi.

 

[Jazz 16]

Depends on the game really.
My preference would be Ron on the left and Hargo on the right.

Other options are Park for when we need some extra cover,
Nani against weaker teams where he will get some room to play,
Evra can play there with O'Shea at LB.
Even Anderson too.
We have such a versatile squad that it shouldnt be a problem.

 

[RedForceRising]

W

But the fact is, Nani is 3 years older than Ronaldo was. He should be more progressed than Ronaldo was, and quite frankly hes playing in a better team than Ronaldo was at the time. His performances should be better than they are, and more regular. And in all honesty, if we don't see considerable progress from him this season, I'll start to question whether hes worth the money and whether hes worth a place in the squad.

- Good point. He is in a better team and older than when Ronnie arrived and this season is supposed to be his coming of age season.

He HAS the talent. It's there. What he needs to do is improve his decision-making. When to pass. When to shoot. When to run the flanks and whip in a cross and when to hold up play and wait for the cavalry. But s far it's the same old Nani and against Aalborg, it was a total regression.

Harsh? Possibly. But I'm only assessing what I see, and its not a lot atm.

...........
But, with the amount of games and the way we play, I think we need another type of winger. Park has a future here, but its through rotation with the other wingers imo. I think Park is a must to play in the big games though, against the Chelseas, Liverpools, Arsenals, Barcelonas etc etc. I think Park and Ronaldo should also be our no 1 choice of wing partnership throughout the Champions League campaign.

- Oh yeah! Park is perfect for those games. Unwavering, industrious performances with ability to stifle attacks on the right.

I would suggest that we sign a winger in January if we are going to give Nani plenty of time to progress. Perhaps a cheaper option, like an Antonio Valencia for example.

But if Nani doesn't show must progress by the time next summer comes around, I think we need to take a serious look at better, more expensive wingers, such as David Silva.

- Maybe our Bulgarian had a point with signing Martin Petrov, to give Nani some competition and someone to look up too, but I have suspicion than Nani would be too proud to take pointers.

Plus Petrov wouldn't be a realistic target I suppose.

I don't think Silva is the right man either. His body is too slight too.

Someone like Robben would be perfect.

I know he didn't have a good game, but maybe Gamst Pedersen could be bought to give Nani some competition.

He has a sweet left foot and maybe playing in a better team will help him become a more consistent performer.