‘Trust me’ – Nani tells Man Utd to sign £58m Arsenal transfer target

Former Manchester United star Nani says he would ‘love’ to see Viktor Gyokeres complete a move to Old Trafford.

Gyokeres, 26, has established himself as one of the most sought-after attacking players in European football with his extraordinary goalscoring exploits for Sporting over the last two years.

Across a phenomenal debut season in Lisbon, Gyokeres racked up 43 goals in all competitions to attract strong interest from the likes of Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, Arsenal, Manchester City and United.

Gyokeres is just one away from bettering that tally this term and the Portuguese champions have grown increasingly resigned to losing their star striker when the summer transfer window opens for business.

Ruben Amorim received widespread praise for the work he did with Gyokeres as Sporting stormed to the club’s first Primeira Liga title in 19 years last season.

And Amorim’s move to the Theatre of Dreams last November has intensified speculation that Gyokeres could be set to follow in his footsteps, with Sporting reportedly willing to do business for a fee in the region of £58million at the end of the campaign.

Featuring as a guest on the Rio Ferdinand Presents YouTube channel, ex-United winger Nani described the tough challenge he faced coming up against Sporting and Gyokeres his last ever match for Estrela da Amadora.

‘My last game of my career was against Sporting. We lost 6-1 I think or 6-0, I don’t know [actually 5-1],’ Nani told his former United team-mate Ferdinand.

‘It was incredible. After ten minutes we were losing 3-0.

‘But the way they play, the striker they have, Gyokeres, it’s amazing. The way they played was amazing.

‘The patterns they have on the team, the way they move the ball. The wingers, this [Geovany] Quenda kid, was making a difference as well.’

According to Nani, Gyokeres has added a level of ‘maturity’ to his game this season and now has all the attributes to succeed at a top club in the Premier League.

‘The last few games I saw him play, he’s much more mature,’ the four-time Premier League winner explained.

‘He’s not playing the same, he’s using his qualities on the right moments now, he’s not losing energy every time.

‘Now, he sets the ball back to the players who have to run with the ball. He controls the game for the team.

‘He’s making goals, he’s making assists, so I think he’s a player who can play in the Premier League. Trust me.

‘If he was playing the same today as he was one year ago I would say no because, in the Premier League, the defenders will eat him because he just wants to run with the ball.

‘But now, he’s playing with his head and he’s really strong. It felt like he was a rock! Powerful. I swear, I swear.’

The former Portugal forward continued: ‘I would love to see him at Manchester United because we need players.

‘If he can go to Manchester United and do the same that he’s doing here, I would be very happy because he scores so many goals.

‘He scores every week! If he doesn’t score, he assists, he creates for the team.

‘He’s very powerful, he’s a player who can run for 90 minutes at the same speed. It’s incredible.

‘You need to come to Portugal to see one game and you will see how strong this guy is.

‘Playing back to the goal and rotating… oh my god! No defender can stop him.’

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