Nani: I'm happy to win ugly
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United will assess Nani at Carrington on Monday morning following his injury in the Reds' 3-1 defeat at Anfield.
A club spokeswoman confirmed on Sunday afternoon that the Portuguese winger has a "very deep gash" in his leg after Jamie Carragher's challenge shortly before half-time. The Liverpool defender was booked by referee Phil Dowd and Nani played no further part in the match. He was carried off the field on a stretcher and replaced by substitute Javier Hernandez who later scored United's only goal with a header in injury time.
While fans will naturally be worried about Nani - one of United's best players of the season so far - there was some encouraging news in that his fellow winger Antonio Valencia was part of the Reds' travelling party for the Liverpool game.
The Ecuadorian was not named among the seven substitutes by Sir Alex Ferguson but his presence at Anfield, combined with his recent return to full-contact training, suggests a comeback may be close.
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BLOODY NIGHTMARE ... Nani's Anfield agonyNANI will be out for at least three matches after being cut to the bone by Jamie Carragher.
Shocked Manchester United medical staff could not believe the depth of the gash to Nani's left leg inflicted by the Liverpool star's horror tackle in Sunday's 3-1 Kop win at Anfield.
The cut, pouring blood, saw the player carried off in tears on a stretcher.
Bruising is so bad it has been impossible to assess the full extent of the injury. And the big problem now with such a deep wound is the possibility of the stitches bursting.
United believe Nani will miss a month's action - Saturday's home FA Cup clash with Arsenal, the Champions League return against Marseille and a Prem trip to Bolton.
After a week of international dates, United hope he will fit to return to face West Ham on April 2.
Carragher sent an apology and waited to see Nani himself. But the furious star ignored Carragher as he hobbled on crutches to the team bus.
Nani is also understood to be angry United's publicity blackout meant nobody from the club spoke out after the game to condemn the tackle.
He told fans via his Twitter account: "Thank you for your support after my injury. I hope to be back really soon."
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I guess this is the best and last chance for Obertan ?
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Originally posted by dojon:
I guess this is the best and last chance for Obertan ?
Probably not. I think Valencia could be back or Fletcher will play on the right again.
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Fergie: Carragher is a disgrace! United boss blasts Liverpool stalwart over Nani wound
Agony: Nani suffered a deep gash to his left leg in Manchester United's 3-1 defeat at Anfield last weekend
Sir Alex Ferguson has vented his fury over Jamie Carragher's horror challenge on Nani and branded it 'disgraceful'.
After maintaining a media blackout all week, the Manchester United manager called a press conference to preview today's FA Cup quarter-final against Arsenal at Old Trafford and did his best to avoid questions about last Sunday's Anfield flashpoints.
But Ferguson's pent-up anger got the better of him as he considered the damage caused by Carragher's raised studs in Liverpool's 3-1 win and revealed that Nani came perilously close to suffering a lengthy lay-off.
'You have to move on, because nothing can be done about it now, but it was a disgraceful tackle,' he fumed. 'I'm not getting into all that, ever, but everyone knows that.
'The wound on Nani's shin was too wide to stitch at the time, so we sent him to hospital to see what they could do.
'Our own doctor and the surgeon there managed to get it stitched up, which was fantastic and was the biggest and best news we could have hoped for.
'It's difficult to say whether he will be fit for the Bolton game next weekend but he's got a chance, at least.
'Without the stitches, who knows when he would have been back, because then the alternative would have been to have waited for the injury to heal by itself.
'Then you are worrying about infection setting in. That and swelling would be the two areas of real concern.
'It was great news that they were able to stitch it up, but we are still worried about infection.
'That is the key to it and is why we are having to monitor him every single day.
'He has to be examined every day to make sure there is no moisture in the wound. If it dries up quickly, we have a better chance of getting him back.'
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Originally posted by CKeer:
Probably not. I think Valencia could be back or Fletcher will play on the right again.
Valencia probably would only come back at the end of the month... And don't expect him to be at his optimum best having been out for so long in the game...I think the more likely option is Park (who is expected to be back in 10 days time) on the left when he comes back in... And I have never seen Valencia play left side before too... Can he?
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Originally posted by zocoss:
Valencia probably would only come back at the end of the month... And don't expect him to be at his optimum best having been out for so long in the game...I think the more likely option is Park (who is expected to be back in 10 days time) on the left when he comes back in... And I have never seen Valencia play left side before too... Can he?
Probably Valencia will be unleashed as a substitute in the Arsenal clash? Chances of it happening is quite high as I doubt Fergie would throw Obertan or even Bebe on.
Park, I really don't know what's wrong with him. He seems unavailable, so long after the Asian Cup. I thought Nani's replacement would be a right midfielder since golden oldie Giggs can still take on the left side?
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I've always thought of carragher as a good leader but not a defender. He doesn't make the cleanest of tackles and he does shirt pulling when turned.
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Originally posted by Rock^Star:
I've always thought of carragher as a good leader but not a defender. He doesn't make the cleanest of tackles and he does shirt pulling when turned.
G-A-R-Y-N-E-V-I-L-L-E.
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Originally posted by CKeer:
G-A-R-Y-N-E-V-I-L-L-E.
Mind you, Gary Neville was England's best right back and to date, the most cap one too...If you have the chance to catch some of the classic match on channel 102 / 110 when Neville was in his prime... You will see how good he was...
I can say he was United's best right-back probably in the last 50 yrs...
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Nani will be ready for Bolton after quick recovery from Carragher horror tackle
Fast recovery: Nani could be back to face Bolton after his leg injury
Wingers Nani and Antonio Valencia are ready to ease Sir Alex Ferguson's chronic injury worries as Manchester United chase trophies on three fronts.
Valencia impressed in his first appearance for six months after coming on as a substitute against Arsenal yesterday.
And Nani, United's best attacking player this season, could be back for United's next Premier League game against Bolton on Saturday despite originally being ruled out for a month with a shin injury caused by Jamie Carragher's brutal tackle in last weekend's game against Liverpool.
Ferguson is set to be without Ji-Sung Park, Darren Fletcher and Michael Carrick for Tuesday's Champions League game against Marseille and was forced to field an unfamiliar line-up yesterday featuring Wayne Rooney and Fabio and Rafael da Silva in midfield.
Ferguson said: 'Nani has made great progress. He has not trained yet but he has been on the bike and is doing things like that. The stitches have done their bit and healed the wound.'
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Originally posted by CKeer:
G-A-R-Y-N-E-V-I-L-L-E.
lol. ok la when he was older.
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wah....nani had stitches? And his gash looked like a split of the flesh. How would he recover so quickly? lol. Valencia is back......just rest him first.
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I am thinking it could be in April before we see he start another match... Unless he recover in super quick time which i doubt.
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those medical staff really so pro, such bad wounds can heal so fast... usually i play soccer at basketball court fall down cuts also taken 1 week to wait for the blood to dry and tear off... i think those medical staff so pro my head fall off they also can stitch back and i become smarter too.
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I shd recommend my chien chi tow power ointment to them. Rub rub rub and heal in 3 days.
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Nani blasts reckless Carragher over tackle that could have ended his season
Crunch: Liverpool's Jamie Carragher clatters into Nani during United's recent defeat at Anfield
Manchester United winger Nani has launched a furious attack on Jamie Carragher over the tackle which left him with an ugly gash on his leg.
Carragher sent an apology into the United dressing room immediately after Liverpool's 3-1 win at Anfield on March 6 and then waited to offer his personal remorse for a challenge that forced Nani to be carried off on a stretcher. But the Portugal star was having none of it.
He had not forgotten it was a previous Carragher challenge on him that sparked an injury that eventually forced him to miss two months of last term.
And even now, in the wake of a quicker-than-expected comeback against Marseille in the Champions League last night, Nani is livid.
'I don't know what Carragher was thinking but I do know what he did was not football,' said Nani, speaking for the first time about the challenge. 'He came to apologise after the game. But I was not happy.
It is the second time he injured me. Before he put me out of the game for two months. He always tackles like that.
'I don't want protection. I just want the referees to be fair. If it is a red card, they have to give it. If they give the card, the next time the player doesn't make the tackle.'
Although he took a rather theatrical fall after initially getting to his feet to remonstrate with Carragher, once Nani saw the wound that had opened, he was certain his season was at an end.
Fears: Nani was concerned his season had been ended by the challenge
It was that knowledge rather than the pain, which caused the 24-year-old to burst into tears in a rather surprising display of emotion.
'When I saw my leg for the first time, I thought my season was finished,' he said. 'That is why I was crying.
'Afterwards, the doctor saw my leg and said I had been lucky because it just needed stitches and I would be out for two or three weeks. He is surprised that I could recover even quicker.'
Nani has been the subject of speculation that he might be looking to leave Old Trafford in the summer and the rough treatment he receives on the pitch may be a factor in that.
Fellow countryman Cristiano Ronaldo was fond of complaining flair players were often targeted in the Premier League and Nani accepts the risk of injury is high.
'English football is like that. It is about making tackles,' he said. 'The fans enjoy it. I played against Marseille but maybe I couldn't play tomorrow because I have so many injuries. I always finished the game sore because I have had three or four tackles on the same part of my ankle.'
Speedy recovery: Nani was back in action on Tuesday in the Champions League
Nani did show bravery to get himself back on the field again so quickly, with even Sir Alex Ferguson claiming last week it would probably be after the international break before the former Sporting Lisbon star was in action again.
Not that it was an especially good performance. Taken off midway through the second period, Nani admitted he struggled to cope. However, the run out may help him ahead of Saturday's Premier League encounter with Bolton at Old Trafford.
'My leg is OK,' he said. 'It is not 100per cent and the confidence is not the same. I know players always like to tackle me so I have to be careful. That is why my football was not the best. But it is great to be back. Now I am just thinking about the next game when I think I will be much better.'
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fucker la....carragher. Cant tackle for nuts. And when he gets turned, he would just pull the player down.
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It was far from pretty, but United’s victory against Bolton at Old Trafford on Saturday left Reds winger Nani delighted.
At this stage of the season, winning is all that counts and Dimitar Berbatov’s 87th-minute goal was enough to see 10-man United over the line against a plucky Wanderers outfit.
“If we want to win the league, we have to win games like that,” Nani told MUTV. “It was a very important result.
“I’m pleased for us. We did so well in the final minutes and we won the game. The secret to scoring late goals is that we always play until the last minute. Today was the same.”
Bolton are always difficult opponents and the Reds’ task was made even tougher when Jonny Evans received his marching orders 15 minutes from time for a high challenge on Stuart Holden.
But that only seemed to spur United on. Sir Alex’s men stepped up a gear and took hold of the game, eventually securing a breakthrough with just three minutes to play.
“This afternoon the players were fantastic, especially after Jonny was sent off. I think we did very well.
“Bolton had an opportunity to create more problems for our defence [after Jonny was sent off] but we always think positively and want to attack. We always try to score.”
Evans, drafted in for the Bolton game after injuries to fellow defenders Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic, Rafael and John O’Shea, now faces a three-game ban. The international break, then, comes at the perfect time.
“Now we join our national teams so hopefully some of our injured players can recover,” Nani said. “We hope that when we come back from the international break all the squad will be ready. We need everybody for these final games.”
