Nani is dodging and weaving his way through AAMI Park at a frenetic pace.
But the former Manchester United winger is not on the pitch.
Instead, he is sprinting through a maze of corridors, racing the clock to get to team lunch at the stadium cafe, well aware a late arrival will prompt a fine from his Melbourne Victory team-mates.
“It’s sometimes difficult when you’re new and you arrive to the club and then you need to adapt to some things,” a grinning Nani told AAP.
“But I’m getting used to the rules and everything at the club.
“You need to run sometimes, because if you get late you need to pay the fines. I’ve paid a couple already.
“But it’s for a good cause. At the end, we all enjoy the the money of the fines, so it’s no problem.”
The Portugal international’s smiling response sums up the winger’s commitment to his new club, where he has been involved in training and practice matches since his signing was announced in July.
Nani is determined to be no blow-in or prima donna marquee.
Those at Victory are delighted at the all-in attitude the four-time English Premier League winner has shown since his arrival.
“The idea is to come here, to enjoy the game and put all your qualities on the field,” he said.
“Sometimes big players come here, move to different leagues, and then they will not perform very well for any reason.
“But the idea is you have the right mentality and then leave it in God’s hands and see what things can happen.
“The most important thing is you do your best and after, if you cannot perform as usual, it’s not because you didn’t do your best, or you didn’t try.
“So my mentality is to try every single game.”
The spotlight will turn on the experienced 35-year-old when Victory open their season away to Sydney FC on Saturday, and he is more than ready.
“I know it’s not going to be easy,” he said. “It’s never easy, anywhere in the world.
“But what I can promise is I will work hard and I will try to always be at my best.”
Nani is also confident Victory’s tantalising attack, boasting the likes of Nick D’Agostino, Ben Folami, Jake Brimmer and Tomi Juric, can fire.
“We’ve been together almost three months. So we know already a little bit of each other,” he said.
“For sure, we will have great moments on the field.”
