Nani labours to stake claim at United

Man Utd v Arsenal:EVERGREEN HAS featured in many descriptions of Ryan Giggs since he landed the Professional Footballers' Association's player of the year award on Sunday night but the inaccuracy of the tribute must torment Alex Ferguson. Not only is time marching against the great Welshman, he is also a glaring illustration that a problematic succession at Manchester United is not confined to the manager's chair.

While 35-year-old Giggs accepted the votes from fellow professionals to take the top award for the first time in 18 seasons, this weekend brought a new low in the Old Trafford career of his heir apparent, the Portugal international Nani. Hauled off at half-time by Ferguson with United trailing 2-0 to Tottenham Hotspur, the 22-year-old responded in a way that confirmed to his many doubters inside Old Trafford that he is not fit to succeed Giggs on or off the pitch; he left the stadium before United had completed their latest stirring recovery and kept their noses in front in the race for the Premier League title.

United say that Nani did not break any club rules by making a hasty exit and no disciplinary action is therefore planned. The player’s representatives claimed he was “very upset” at being replaced and received permission from the club to go home.

To those United supporters who witnessed the winger outside the stadium on Saturday, however, it was a lack of professionalism that should hasten his exit permanently in the summer. Bought for €20 million from Sporting Lisbon in 2007, Nani, according to Ferguson, would be groomed to replace Giggs on United’s left wing. Almost two years later the search for Giggs’ successor continues – United have since also acquired Zoran Tosic from Partizan Belgrade – while Nani’s development appears to have gone into reverse.

Saturday was only the sixth time this season that he has started a league game. Not once has he lasted longer than 70 minutes in those six. He remains capable of moments of individual brilliance, but it is his lack of game intelligence that has left a greater impression on an Old Trafford crowd now exasperated with his anonymous talent.

Nani claimed that his grievance at Old Trafford on Saturday stemmed from his own performance level. “I was not satisfied with my work against Tottenham but I accept the orders of the coach with the half-time substitution,” he said last night. “In the second half the team changed in every respect but I alone am not responsible for the bad performance in the first 45 minutes. I finished the game unhappy with my work but I still believe I can demonstrate my level at United.”

Whether he will get that opportunity, or can take it, is in serious doubt. Giggs, meanwhile, looks ahead to Arsenal tomorrow and his 800th appearance for United.

The Arsenal team that takes on United tomorrow will be almost unrecognisable from the one that started the club’s only other appearance in the Champions League semi-finals. As one of the few survivors from three years ago, when Villarreal provided the opposition, Kolo Toure is convinced that the youthful exuberance and fearlessness of Arsene Wenger’s class of 2009 gives it a vital edge.

“We’ve lost a player like Thierry Henry, which is difficult, but [Emmanuel] Adebayor is playing really well,” said Toure. “We lost Robert Pires but we have Samir Nasri. There is more pressure on them because they are the team to beat,” said Toure, “They won it last season but we are going there to play freely and to pass the ball. We know when we play football against them, they struggle a lot. We will go for it. We are not scared.”