Melbourne Victory head coach Tony Popovic insisted a decision has not been made on Luis Nani’s future amid reports the Isuzu UTE A-League outfit will cut ties with the injured marquee player.
Former Manchester United and Portugal star Nani hasn’t played since suffering a partial tear of his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in January but went goalless in 10 starts before that.
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The 36-year-old signed on a marquee deal last July that was effectively a one-year contract with a clause for a second season if he played a certain number of games.
Network 10 on Sunday reported Victory’s board had met to discuss Nani’s contract and as he hadn’t met that games clause, opted not to re-sign him, with the club preferring to invest in younger players.
Nani’s highly-paid marquee contract is partially subsidised by the Australian Professional Leagues (APL).
Popovic, however, dismissed suggestions a decision had been made via board meeting, and was adamant Nani’s future wouldn’t be decided until after Victory’s last game, against Brisbane next Sunday.
“I’m sure if the board had that discussion I would know about it. If that was, whatever you say was reported. As a coach I haven’t heard anything,” Popovic said.
“Look, he’s a contracted player. He’s recovering from a partial tear of his ACL. We need to discuss with him at the end of the (season), which we will.
“That was always the plan by the club. That hasn’t changed from our point of view. We will do as we planned to do.
“We know where he’s at. JD (football director John Didulica) keeps us very well informed on his situation, how his recovery is going, what stage he’s at with the knee.
“The plan, from the moment he left, was that we’ll discuss things with him and his team and the club at the end of the season.”
Nani has been in Europe in recent months rehabilitating and Popovic wouldn’t be drawn on whether he would like to see the Portuguese winger return.
“It’s hard to answer that because we don’t even know what his fitness is like,” he said.
“How will that knee recover? How much desire does he have with his knee? We don’t know.
“At the end of the season, when we have some clear space, we can got through that whole process. First of all, make sure that we know that the injury is healed, or the process or the stage of the injury, the rehab.
“So from the moment he left it really hasn’t changed for us and what we will do at the end with him in our discussions.”
