Nani admits playing for Man Utd came with so much pressure he was almost relieved to leave club
NANI has admitted the pressure of playing for Manchester United was so great it was almost a relief when he eventually left.
The Portugal forward spent eight years at Old Trafford, winning four titles and the Premier League in a haul of 12 major trophies.
Admitting the only way was down on leaving United, he gave a remarkable insight into the weight of expectation for everyone wearing the red shirt.
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So when he returned to Sporting Lisbon on loan in 2014, before leaving Manchester for good a year later, he felt relief.
Nani, who recently joked he taught Cristiano Ronaldo everything he knows, said: “I’ll tell you the truth, it is never the same after leaving United for another club.
“As a club, as a structure, the quality... everyone knows that, I’m not offending anybody.
“But it was great to come back to Sporting to breathe a little bit, to recover, get some energy back and motivation.
“It was a new challenge and actually a great season at Sporting for me that year.
“I played very well, scored a couple in the Champions League and enjoyed the football a lot.”
Nani, who said United players turned up drunk to training and now plays for Orlando City in the USA, joined United in a £22million switch from Sporting in 2007.
The move fulfilled a vow he made to a mate when he was 12 — when United sealed the Treble with a Champions League win over Bayern Munich in 1999.
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He said: “The game was on and we ran to a cafe to watch the last few minutes.
“I remember I said to him, ‘That’s my team — I will be in that team’.
“Sometimes, things come out of my mouth and I don’t have an idea what I’m saying, but you just feel it.”
SEE the full Nani interview on the official Manchester United Podcast at