Nani Eyes FA Cup Glory

Nani says United are “focused” on winning the FA Cup after booking a place in the sixth round via a 2-1 win over Reading at Old Trafford on Monday night.

The Portuguese was a standout performer against the Royals, replacing the injured Phil Jones to make an instant impact by striking the post with an audacious volley, then scoring a fine second half opener before setting up Javier Hernandez’s near-post header.

Afterwards, when quizzed by MUTV, Nani was keen to reiterate United’s desire to lift the famous trophy for the first time since 2004 and also expressed his satisfaction after producing a fine display following a spell on the sidelines.

“It is very important, the manager has told us that he wants to win the FA Cup and we are very focused on this competition,” the 26-year-old explained. “We prepared very hard for this game and we did well to win, which is the most important thing.

“I have been injured for a long time and it is always difficult when you come back, but I’ve worked very hard and part of what I did on the pitch was because I’ve worked very hard. I will continue to work hard to do my best.

“It was nice to help the team, it was a beautiful evening and I have to keep working hard to try and help the team every time I get on the pitch.”

Despite dominating for much of the match and later building a comfortable two-goal lead, the Reds were forced to endure a nervy finale as a result of Jobi McAnuff’s late strike at the Theatre of Dreams. Thankfully, Nani and his teammates were able to secure progress from a tricky tie.

“It is always difficult to play against this team because they have a very good motivation to play against us and they always play until the last minute. Of course, if they relax a bit then they can cause problems. They scored one goal and the last minutes were difficult for us.”