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By Jamie Jackson/The Guardian
Nani has said he is reluctant to return to Manchester United because of limited first-team opportunities. The winger, who was not at fault for an incident which left United’s Angel di Maria injured in Portugal’s 1-0 friendly win over Argentina at Old Trafford on Tuesday, is on loan at Sporting Lisbon. The 28-year-old is enjoying playing regularly and is unsure if his future lies with United.
“I am very happy how it is going at Sporting,” he said. “That is what I wanted. I wanted to play more. I wanted to get back to my best and I wanted to enjoy my football. That is what is happening. It is going well. It has turned out very good for me. It has made me very confident again for the future.
“Yes I had to get away from United to achieve this. I saw the opportunities were going not be less for me so I had to make a choice. I had been at Old Trafford for a long time, for seven years, and I think I needed a little time away to understand and find my confidence again.”
Nani stated he did not have to go on loan but did so to further his career. “Louis van Gaal gave me the option to go. I could have stayed but I chose the best option for me at the time and I think I was right,” he said. “I am enjoying my game again. Football is the best thing in my life. Football has given me everything and when I play I really enjoy myself so I want to play all the time. That wasn’t happening at United. When I don’t play I am very disappointed.
“You can accept not playing regularly for one or two years but after that, when you know you have the quality to play, you have to make a choice. That is what I did and it is working out well. It is a possibility that I might come back to Manchester United. Why not? It is something that eventually we will have to discuss and see if it is possible. But at the moment I am focused on my job at Sporting Lisbon because it is there where I am doing well. To move back in January is a little bit more difficult but you never know. Let’s see what they say. I’m working hard to be at my best. I just want to continue to work very hard and play well.”
Di María hurt his right foot after 18 minutes of the friendly at Old Trafford on Tuesday. After leaving the field he returned to the game and played until the hour mark before being taken off by Gerardo Martino, the Argentina coach.
After the match Martino revealed Di María had already been x-rayed and the injury was being assessed though he downplayed the seriousness of the incident. While Di María was seen walking without impediment, Van Gaal is waiting anxiously to discover if he will be available for Saturday’s trip to Arsenal.
The £59.7mn British record transfer signing is the 13th player on Van Gaal’s long injury list after it emerged Darren Fletcher is also a doubt. Of the other 11, Phil Jones, Rafael da Silva, Michael Carrick, Radamel Falcao, David de Gea, Jonny Evans, Marcos Rojo and Luke Shaw all have varying hopes of being fit for Arsenal, with the latter coming off in England’s 3-1 win over Scotland with a tight hamstring.
Daley Blind, Jesse Lingard and Ashley Young remain longer term absentees due to their respective problems.
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