Giggs tips Nani for the top

United legend salutes the 'new Ronaldo'

By Chris Burton   Last updated: 10th October 2010   Subscribe to RSS Feed

Giggs tips Nani for the top

Giggs & Nani: Wing wonders

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Ryan Giggs believes that Nani has the potential to emulate Cristiano Ronaldo's achievements at Manchester United.

The Portuguese winger has followed in the footsteps of his illustrious countryman, moving to Old Trafford after learning his trade in the Sporting Lisbon academy ranks.

He has long been billed as a star of the future but has struggled at times to find consistency and provide the kind of goal threat required from wide-men in the modern game.

Nani, though, has started to step out of Ronaldo's shadow and veteran midfielder Giggs sees no reason why the 23-year-old cannot go on to become an all-time great - providing he continues to heed the advice of his peers.

"I think Nani is ready to step up to that next level now. He has always been a match-winner but he needs to do it consistently," Giggs said in The People.

"This season he has already made seven or eight goals and scored a couple but he can do better as well and improve and there is more to come.

"He's definitely beginning to add something that perhaps we lacked since Cristiano left and he's filling that gap better now. Those strikes from outside the box and the type of run and goal we saw at Bolton recently show that he's got that in him.

Capable

"What he needs to do now is add more goals to his game. He needs to score 20 goals a season and make 20 goals. If he does that, and he is capable of it, that is all you can ask from a wide player.

"I am obviously one of the senior players here now and I speak to the wingers all the time about positional play. When they first come they probably don't know their defensive duties as well in 4-4-2.

"But I've played a lot of that and I understand what is needed from a player who plays out wide and has an attacking role. You speak to those in your position all the time and Nani is very good at listening to that kind of advice.

"I have experience to pass on to the younger players and I do that with Nani. He needs to get more composure in the final third but he is still relatively young and I am certain he will add more goals to his game."

Nani would be advised to listen to what Giggs has to say as the Welshman has spent 20 years at the top of the game, playing alongside and learning from some of the biggest names in the business.

He said: "When I joined United I honestly never thought it would last this long. At the start you just set little goals, like get to the first team. Then you get more greedy and you want to win things and score more goals.

"When I was 18 or 19, Bryan Robson was 35 or 36 and the thought of me playing at that age was a million miles away. But it's here now and I'm passing advice on to the young lads like Robbo did to me."

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