Nani to return to Sporting for third spell at the club
Nani, 31, is set for another return to his boyhood club, Sporting CP, after falling out of favour at La Liga's Valencia.
Nani made his debut for Sporting back in 2005, featuring as a substitute in a Champions League qualifying match against Udinese, before making a big-money move to Manchester United in 2007. He returned to the club on a successful loan-deal in 2014 which saw him appear in 37 matches across all competitions, and is now set to make a permanent switch back to the Estádio José Alvalade.
Nani is seen as an ideal replacement for compatriot Gelson Martins, who is heading in the opposite direction and is set to join Europa League holders Atletico Madrid. It comes after Gelson unilaterally terminated his contract with Sporting last month after the violent scenes at the Sporting training ground, where masked fans attacked their own players after failing to qualify for the Europa League.
Nani returns to his former club with incredible experience, having played well over 200 matches for Manchester United, where he helped the team win four Premier League titles, as well as the Champions League back in 2008. However, at the age of 31, he still has plenty to offer on the pitch too, having come off a decent spell with Lazio.
The move could also be seen as ideal for Nani himself who, having led the nation to European Championship glory in 2016, failed to make Portugal's World Cup squad this year. This could be a great opportunity for the national legend to work his way back into Fernando Santos' plans.
