Fergie hails winger Nani's vein of form

The Portugal winger arrived at Old Trafford in 2007 for 17million amid great expectation, only to fail miserably in his attempt to win a regular spot in Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United line-up.

It would have been no surprise if he had been off-loaded during the January transfer window but instead, Nani has hit a rich vein of form, cementing his place in the United line-up ahead of tomorrow's encounter with fierce rivals Liverpool.

"I have always said Nani is a talented boy," said Ferguson.

"He has great feet, great pace and great endurance. He is a terrific trainer and a tough little lad. He has all the parts you need and what we hoped was that maturity would bring them all together.

"We have definitely seen great improvement in his form over the last few weeks. He is starting to mature and that is the reason why I am playing him."

Ferguson will hope Nani's pace and balance unsettle a Liverpool side who have beaten United on their last three meetings, each of which have featured Nemanja Vidic being sent off.

Victory would keep the Red Devils at the Premier League summit for another few days at least.