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PLAYER SIGNS FOR MAN UNITED!
Luis Nani has signed an unexpected 5-year contract extension that keeps him at Manchester United till 2018. Nani was agitating for a move last season after months of being put in the doghouse by Sir Alex Ferguson, and was widely expected to leave with two years on his contract this summer. Although Juventus (and reportedly, upto 10 different clubs) came calling, Moyes has hung on to his man and indeed, navigated his raise demands to tie him down long-term.
After the transfer circus that the club went through, this represents quite a sweet turn of events. Although reports filtered in last week that Nani was 'at the table' discussing a deal, it was met with skepticism by a majority of fans. I certainly wouldn't blame them, after all the claims and counter claims the club has been issuing all summer.
Nani, we all know, can be a match winner on his day. While not at the same level as Cristiano Ronaldo (then again, which player not named Lionel Messi is?), he's definitely a few steps above the consistently mediocre Ashley Young, the raw and naive Wilf Zaha, the wrinkled Ryan Giggs and the inconsistently effective Antionio Valencia. As his cameo against Liverpool last week showed, the man can play.
This is a positive sign from Moyes (and the club) - he has hung on to two talented players in Nani and Wayne Rooney in his first window, and indeed has convinced a player very much in the wilderness to return to the fold. Next up : an extension for Rooney ( a situation that is similar but so much more difficult), and if it so pleases his Scottish Lord, a 5 minute cameo from Shinji Kagawa maybe? Just to make sure he's still around, and not sold to Dortmund for a bottle of wine and a few shrimps by some clerical error or something.