Melbourne Victory parts ways with former Manchester United star after lacklustre stint

His A-League arrival was heavily hyped, but Nani failed to live up to expectations during his short time with Melbourne Victory.

Melbourne Victory has confirmed the premature departure of former Manchester United star Nani.

Much hype surrounded the Portuguese veteran’s arrival in the A-League last July, when he signed a two-year deal with the Victory.

“I know that Melbourne Victory is a club that wants to achieve success and I want to play a role in helping the team achieve that,” the four-time English Premier League winner said when joining the club.

However, Nani’s A-League stint fell short of expectations, with his 2022-23 campaign ending when he suffered a season-ending knee injury in January during a match against Brisbane Roar.

It’s understood that Nani – who only made 11 appearances in all competitions for the Melbourne club – didn’t play enough games to activate the clause in his contract which would have guaranteed him the second year of his Victory deal.

Nani clutches his knee after suffering an injury while playing against Brisbane Roar. Picture: Daniel Pockett / Getty Images

It led to the Victory, who had a horror season, electing to cut ties with the 36-year-old winger.

“The club would like to thank Nani for his contribution and wishes him the best for the future,” the Victory said in a short statement.

Nani’s departure continues the Victory’s clean-out of players and staff.

Others having left the club since the end of the season include goalkeeper Matt Acton, fullback Kadete, attackers Fernando Romero, Tomi Juric, Bruce Kamau and Lleyton Brooks, assistant coaches Fabrizio Cammarata and Luciano Trani and goalkeeper coach Peter Zois.

Originally published as Melbourne Victory parts ways with former Manchester United star after lacklustre stint