Nani: I Can Replace Cristiano Ronaldo At Manchester United

Jun 15, 2009 6:32:16 PM

The Portuguese winger at Old Trafford feels he's the man to fill the boots of the expected departure of Ronaldo...

Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson does not have to look outside the club for the player who can replace the talismanic Cristiano Ronaldo, for whom Real Madrid agreed an £80 million fee last week. That is the view of Red Devils winger Nani, as he feels he is the man to step up and show the kind of form associated with his more widely-known fellow countryman.

Nani does not enjoy the most positive reputation amongst United fans, many of whom feel he lacks the kind of physical commitment and bravery expected of Premier League players.

The player himself, though, is confident that he can fill the void left by Ronaldo's departure, telling The Sun, "I can have more opportunities. Cristiano was very important but now I think I can show my value.

"Cristiano's departure is not impossible to fix."

Nani has made 39 appearances for United since joining from Lisbon outfit Sporting in 2007, scoring four goals.

Zack Wilson, Goal.com

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8:40 PM BST

Bayern have really come into the game and have had some great chances, but, for my money, Dortmund shaded that opening 45 minutes. They also shaded the poll Goal ran on Facebook earlier. We asked you who would win at Wembley tonight and 55 per cent of you sided with the underdogs. It really will be fascinating to see if Klopp's men can pull this off in the second half, which is just five minutes away.

8:36 PM BST

Half-time at Wembley and we're still scoreless. Quite how is beyond me, because both sides have had some wonderful chances but both Neuer and Weidenfeller have proven unbeatable up until this point. It really does look like it's going to take something special to break the deadlock.

Arjen Robben has looked the man most likely, having had two one-on-ones already, but Goal Germany's Tim Rohn says the Dutchman has annoyed his team-mates no end during that opening 45 minutes.

"There were two chances in which Robben should have passed into the middle. But he decided to take both himself - without success. Mandzukic was furious on one occasion, while Muller just shook his head. Robben's selfishness pleases only Dortmund's fans."

8:31 PM BST

WEIDENFELLER SAVES WITH HIS FACE! Robben gets in on goal again, this time after Hummels fails to deal with a long ball over the top. The Dutch winger lets rip but Weidenfeller gets his mush in the way and the ball flies away to safety. The Dortmund shot-stopper knew little about that but, you have to say, both goalkeepers have done wonderfully well thus far to keep this one scoreless.

8:28 PM BST

Right, let's check in with Dortmund fan Stefan Dorin, who, unsurprisingly, is loving the fact that Jurgen Klopp's men have given their massive travelling contingent plenty to shout about in the opening 40 minutes.

"Great game! Borussia clearly is clearly dominating the match and, of course, the stands. But it's a shame that the score is still 0-0. But it's good to see our team standing up to Bayern again, especially in midfield. The tension is immense, though!"

8:23 PM BST

This one is really warming up now, with both Robben and Lewandowski having been denied in their respective one-on-ones with Weidenfeller and Neuer. Ladies and gentleman, I'm growing increasingly confident we might have a classic on our hands. Now, all we need is a goal ...

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