Anderson: Nani Won It For Us

Anderson praised Nani's influence after the Portuguese winger came off the bench to help the Reds secure a 2-1 win over Reading in the FA Cup fifth round.

The Brazilian started as part of a rotated team after Sir Alex Ferguson made eight changes from the XI which drew with Real Madrid last Wednesday - with only David De Gea, Phil Jones and Danny Welbeck retaining their places.

As a result, United naturally lacked continuity but managed to seal a narrow win thanks in part to the introduction of Nani, whose performance caught the eye after replacing the injured Phil Jones to score the opening goal before setting up Javier Hernandez in the second half.

When asked about the Portuguese winger's display, Anderson was keen to celebrate his team-mate's efforts and impact on proceedings.

“Everybody knows the quality of Nani,” Ando told MUTV. “I know he sometimes does not play but when he does he is important for the team. He won the game for us and he was very important.

“It was a hard match, the boss picked a different team and the players have to be ready for everything, but we did the job to win the game and that is what matters.

“Every game is hard because everyone wants to play against us and everyone wants to win against us, but we did our job very well and I’d like to congratulate everyone in the team.”

Victory over Brian McDermott’s men means United are still in the running to win the FA Cup, Barclays Premier League and UEFA Champions League this season – adding fuel to the fire that another treble could be on the cards.

Although there are plenty of games left to play and nobody is getting carried away, Anderson believes United have enough quality and strength to achieve the seemingly impossible.

“It could happen, it happened one time and it could happen again,” Ando explained. “We have a good team, we have a good squad and if everyone remains focused and concentrated then we can win everything.

“Every competition is very important. Everyone has to be on top form – but we have a good team, a good squad with lots of players. It would be fantastic for me to say to my family and my kids that I won the FA Cup with Manchester United.”