He showed that he can be a Manchester United player

Manchester United assistant coach Mike Phelan believes Nani is finally proving he is good enough to play for the Premier League champions following his man-of-the-match performance against Arsenal at the weekend.

The Portuguese international has been one of Manchester United’s best players in their last three games against Manchester City, Hull City, and Arsenal, and Phelan suggests the penny may have finally dropped for the man widely tipped as Cristiano Ronald’s heir apparent.

Phelan intimates the player may have lacked the self-belief to perform for Manchester United, but now the Old Trafford faithful and Sir Alex Ferguson are beginning to see why they signed the former Sporting Lisbon starlet.

The Manchester United assistant told the Manchester Evening News: “I think Nani’s now, as they say, the penny may have dropped a little bit.”

“He started to show the real Nani that we knew we had.”

“It’s been difficult for him but I think today (against Arsenal) he showed the speed, he showed the determination, he showed that he can be a Manchester United player.”