Nani Still On A Steep Learning Curve

In modern day football, comparisons between rising stars and those who've already established themselves as household name have become commonplace. When Sporting Lisbon's young, flamboyant winger, Nani was rousing interest amongst several English clubs, including Manchester United, the media sprang no surprises by instantly comparing him to Cristiano Ronaldo.

This despite the huge probability that the majority of journalists had not seen the youngster in action, with the possible exception of one or two brief Champions League appearances. Although the comparisons were natural, and far from unfounded, Nani had the burden from day one of being placed in the great shadow of Ronaldo, who by this stage was well on his way to being largely recognised as the best player on the planet.

Now in his second season at United, has Nani managed to live up to early expectations or are the fans still left puzzled by the amount of talent the 21-year-old truly possesses?

Had Ronaldo not been at the club, Nani's influence on proceedings would have been far more significant in his debut season. However, as we all know, Ronaldo would end up having a practically flawless year. The need to have two similar wingers wasn't always there with Nani's Portuguese teammate in such incredible form. It was more a case of fitting in the youngster where possible, letting him run at tired defences and using him in cup competitions.

His first season in England brought contrasting fortunes. A stunning 30-yard strike at Old Trafford against the other English club he'd been heavily linked with, Tottenham, seemed to have kick started his career at United in remarkable fashion. After this moment of brilliance, though, things began to quieten down somewhat for Nani, who was still drawing comparisons to Ronaldo, but not the Ronaldo who was busy terrorising every defence in the Premier League, but rather the 2003-2005 version. The stage at which Ronaldo himself drew criticism from all angles about his tendency to choose the wrong option and supposed lack of end product.

Often appearing a little too eager to impress at times, attempting different flicks and tricks where they weren't necessarily advisable, some of Nani's performances brought a degree of frustration amongst supporters, just as Ronaldo's had done a few years earlier.

If recent history teaches us anything, it's that being patient with certain flair players can often reap benefits for the club in question. Although Nani might never reach the levels Ronaldo has managed to work up to, it's clear that the 21-year-old has the potential to become a class player in his own right.

Those who doubt his ability should look at his performances in a Portugal shirt during the last two qualifying matches. With Ronaldo out injured, the stage was set for Nani to start pulling the strings, getting forward in more advanced positions and spearheading the Portuguese attack. Two goals in the two qualifiers done enough to convince the Portuguese of Nani's steady progression from immature boy to influential winger.

Despite his obvious talent on the ball, Nani continues to bare the same facial expressions which suggest he believes he's a victim, being constantly wronged by the referee, and for his performances to improve for both club and country, his questionable attitude is one trait which needs fine tuning. The start of this season was marred by the 21-year-old's three-match suspension, picked up following his stupid sending off at the tail-end of last season against West Ham.

As a result of Ronaldo's injury, this would have provided the ideal opportunity for the young winger to take up his position and show the United fans what he can do when granted the role of his older teammate. But this is Nani in a nutshell, always being on the fringes and never quite being able to take the lead role, because of his own faults and moments of immaturity.

No-one can deny that Nani possesses a vast amount of talent, and could one day become a key player for both Manchester United and Portugal, and it's for this reason that he must remain at the club. It's clear that he's on a learning curve, one almost identical to the one Ronaldo had to overcome during his first few seasons in England, and if he ends up being even half as successful as his fellow countryman, it would have been a shrewdly invested £17m.