"I want to introduce a player that needs no introduction. He’s had a career that has conquered the world with Manchester United. A player in the prime of his career." Those are the words of Orlando City SC VP of Soccer Operations as the team welcomed the newest member of the Lions, Nani.
Nani comes to Orlando after spending the last few seasons playing for Sporting CP in Portugal. There is no other way to say it, he comes with a pedigree of playing for big time clubs and winning trophies. Nani even said it himself at his introductory press conference, "I came to win trophies." If you look back on his career that is all he does, check out the numbers below:
The question now is how he will fit into the starting XI, typically he has played on the wing but he is versatile in enough to play anywhere in the attack. At the most recent preseason match James O'Connor deployed a 3-5-2, so conceivable you can imagine Nani playing as the second forward with Dom Dwyer or if JOC decides to go with a 4-2-3-1 he could play on the left wing. Nani is an experienced veteran who has the quality, production, and to be one of the best wingers in Major League Soccer.
As my colleague Evan Weston pointed out on Twitter the numbers suggest that he will be very successful in Orlando.
When asked how soon Nani could get on the field Muzzi said that they are still working on getting him a work visa and his international transfer paperwork in order.
Fans attending the preseason match on Wednesday night will get their first opportunity to greet Nani as he will be introduced before things kickoff against the New England Revolution.