Former Manchester United favourite Nani has delivered a stark verdict on the current disciplinary climate at Old Trafford, insisting the recent public criticisms of manager Ruben Amorim would never have been tolerated under the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson.
The Ferguson Standard: No Player Bigger Than the Club
Nani, who made 230 appearances for the Reds, pointed to the recent saga involving young players as evidence of a shift in culture. Amorim sanctioned the £40million sale of Alejandro Garnacho to Chelsea after the Argentine and his brother publicly criticised him. Tensions escalated last week when Amorim criticised a perceived "sense of entitlement" among United's youth, following social media posts from Kobbie Mainoo's half-brother and subtle digs from youngsters Chido Obi and Harry Amass.
"No way, not a chance," Nani stated emphatically when asked if such insubordination would have flown under Ferguson. "If someone needed it, he would put a player to one side for a game, and usually they would learn straight away. If you were in trouble for any kind of bad behaviour, you would only play again when you changed."
He highlighted the universal application of Ferguson's rules, recalling that "nobody was bigger than the club. No player, not Ronaldo, not Rooney, not Giggs, nobody." Nani even revealed a personal experience from his early days at United where he was dropped after a strong performance to address an off-pitch issue, a lesson he believes today's squad could benefit from.
Dressing Room Leadership and Backing for Amorim
The Portuguese winger also stressed the crucial role senior players played in Ferguson's era in maintaining standards. He named figures like Rio Ferdinand, Gary Neville, and Ryan Giggs as leaders who would "step in and they would fix it" if a teammate's effort or behaviour dropped, ensuring the manager's mindset filtered through the entire squad.
Despite the challenges Amorim has faced in his first 13 months in charge, Nani remains convinced his compatriot is the right man for the job. "He is young, he has the hunger and always wants to do better," said the 39-year-old, speaking via casino.co.uk. "He's got a huge future... He just needs to continue to learn because the Premier League is different." Nani noted visible improvement from last season and predicted another step forward next term.
Praise for Key Signings Mbeumo and Cunha
Nani reserved specific praise for two of Amorim's major signings, summer arrivals Bryan Mbeumo from Brentford and Matheus Cunha from Wolves. "I think they are two players who made the difference since they came," he said. "Both players are making differences in games and scoring goals. I also like that they fight for the team on the field. These are the type of players we want in the club."
He believes these signings are proof of Amorim building a strong team for a "very beautiful future," albeit one that requires time, discipline, and a unified mindset to fully realise.
