Nani’s Portuguese side has performed beyond expectations at Euro 2016 and made it to the semifinals. The 29-year-old’s teammate Renato Sanches was a transfer target for Manchester United, before German side Bayern Munich snapped up the youngster for a reported £27 million.
According to a report in the Guardian, former Manchester United winger Nani has said that the Red Devils may regret their failure to sign Portuguese starlet Renato Sanches. The 18-year-old was heavily tipped to join the Premier League side in early May, but only weeks later the club decided to pull the plug on the transfer, in order to lure higher profile candidates from top European sides. Seeing the path clear for themselves, Bayern Munich capitalized on the opportunity and signed the highly-rated youngster for an initial fee of £27.5 million.
Noting Sanches’ performances at the Euros, Nani said, “Renato would have been a great signing for Man United, I have no doubts.”
“But he had a choice – and the choice he made was Bayern Munich. I hope that he has made a good choice and that he is happy in his career but I think United will now know what a big player they have missed,” he added.
Jose Fonte, another member of the Portuguese Euro contingent, chipped in to voice his opinion over Sanches’ transfer saga: “As a Premier League player myself – for me, they [Manchester United] missed out on a very good talent. It is lucky for Bayern Munich that they have him.”
Fonte also spoke about the impact the 18-year-old has had on the Seleçao.
“Renato has no fear. He just doesn’t care. He just asks for the ball all the time, every second. He has power, strength, the energy to run all day and great ability. It was a lot of responsibility, taking that penalty, and he showed no fear,” said Fonte.
“He’s a cool kid in the dressing room, very quiet. He’s nice. He listens to the older guys and he wants to learn, which is good. It’s great to have him around and he will be the future of the national team for sure,” the Southampton defender added.
