Nani fails to raise the spirits

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: Manchester Utd 1 Bursaspor 0:MANCHESTER UNITED supporters will not need reminding it was against Turkish opposition that an 18-year-old Wayne Rooney made his first-ever appearance in that famous red shirt, his hat-trick against Fenerbahce a legitimate claim for the most devastating debut Old Trafford has ever witnessed.

Everything felt so much more innocent back then; certainly compared to this latest victory, a dull and insipid game played out against a backdrop of disenchantment and with the first signs of Rooney being demonised by a crowd whose love had previously seemed unconditional.

The swell of opinion against Rooney manifested itself during various parts of the evening, whether it be the banners that were quickly confiscated by the men in fluorescent-orange jackets or the voluble support for Alex Ferguson. Rooney might not have been here but, in another sense, it was impossible to get away from his presence.

Asked about Rooney’s statement after the game, Ferguson replied: “I’ve not read it all, I’ve seen bits on TV – we’ll have a view of it tomorrow and see where we go from there.

“We’ll probably put it to bed tomorrow. The door is open, we’re that kind of club that we want to keep good players, particularly when they’re as good as that.”

Perhaps it was a blessing in disguise for Rooney that his ankle injury meant he was nowhere to be seen. As the game got under way, others on the opposite side lifted a banner into the air. It read: “Coleen forgave you, Wayne, we won’t.” Half an hour into the match another appeared: “Who’s the whore now, Wayne?” It was nasty and spiteful stuff.

Without him, United were largely poor, raising themselves only sporadically. Nani’s seventh-minute goal puts them in a position of strength in Group C but if this was a glimpse into a future without Rooney, then it should not entirely be a surprise that he apparently has misgivings of this being a team in gradual decline.

There will always be moments when Nani frustrates the crowd, and it would be exaggerating to say that he can supplant Rooney as the talisman of this team, but so far this season he has pushed Dimitar Berbatov very close when it comes to playing with penetration and panache, and his was a goal that demonstrated a man at the peak of his confidence.

When Darren Fletcher picked out the Portuguese in the inside-right channel there was little to suggest any imminent danger to the Bursaspor defence, but the winger’s first touch and sudden change of direction took him away from two defenders in one movement. He was now cutting inside and, 25 yards out, curled a shot with his left foot towards the bottom right-hand corner of Dimitar Ivankov’s goal. The goalkeeper was slow to anticipate the shot and even more ponderous doing something about it, but the credit for the element of surprise should go to the scorer.

It was probably inevitable there would be times when they did not have the cohesion that comes when Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes are on the field, but there were still long spells when United demonstrated a clear gulf in class.

That is not to say this was a particularly expansive performance. Anderson toiled diligently in midfield, and Nani excelled in flashes, but United did not have to be at their best, which is just as well because Park Ji-sung and Fletcher are not in their best form. Patrice Evra, too, has not been attacking as an overlapping left-back in the incisive way of old.

There were also times when United looked conspicuously short in attack, with the teenage Federico Macheda a little isolated as he led the line on his own.

Nonetheless, United scarcely created a chance in the second half and, tellingly, there were droves of fans heading away with a quarter of an hour still to play. That heady September evening against Fenerbahce in 2004 felt like a long time ago.

Guardian Service

MANCHESTER UTD: Kuszczak, Rafael Da Silva, Smalling, Vidic, Evra, Fletcher, Carrick, Anderson (Hernandez 77), Nani, Macheda, Park (Obertan 71). Subs not used: Amos, Neville, Berbatov, O'Shea, Bebe. Booked: Nani.

BURSASPOR: Ivankov, Tandogan (Keceli 71), Erdogan, Stepanov (Ibrahim Ozturk 46), Wederson, Sen, Svensson, Ergic, Ipek, Insua, Yildirim (Bahadir 46). Subs not used: Ozkan, Cimsir, Batalla, Nunez. Booked: Ipek, Tandogan.

Referee: Gianluca Rocchi (Italy).

Attendance: 72,610

Edu heads in both directions at Ibrox

Rangers 1 Valencia 1

RANGERS midfielder Maurice Edu scored at both ends as Valencia had to settle for a draw at Ibrox in Group C last night.

American international Edu gave Rangers the lead 11 minutes before half-time, only to head into his net just after the interval.

Unai Emery’s Valencia dominated the remainder of the game but could not find a way past a typically stubborn Rangers defence.

Valencia controlled possession from the start but when Walter Smith’s side did venture forward they caused problems.

They went ahead in the 34th minute when Edu rose above Cesar Sanchez to head in from a Vladimir Weiss corner.

Rangers’ advantage was wiped out less than a minute after the break when Juan Mata clipped in a free kick and Edu glanced a header into the corner of his net as Rangers conceded for the first time in the Champions League this season.