Melbourne Victory have announced the departure of injured marquee Nani.
Former Manchester United and Portugal star Nani arrived in Australia amid plenty of fanfare following a decorated career abroad, but his season was cut short by a partial tear of his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in January.
The 36-year-old – who won Euro 2016 with Portugal – went goalless in his 10 appearances for a Victory side that missed the A-League Men finals.
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Nani 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.
However, Nani will not be back for the 2023-24 season as Victory eye a return to the finals.
“Melbourne Victory can confirm that Luis Nani will depart the Club after the completion of the 2022/23 Isuzu UTE A-League season,” a club statement read.
“The Portuguese international made ten A-League Men’s appearances for Victory before suffering an injury in January that ruled him out for the remainder of the season.
“The Club would like to thank Nani for his contribution and wishes him the best for the future.”
Nani’s debut season in Melbourne was ended by a serious knee injury sustained in a 1-0 loss to Brisbane Roar at the start of the year.
It was the second successive campaign he failed to score a league goal, having also fired a blank for Venezia in 2021-22.
Since the injury, Nani has been spotted abroad in Europe at his former club United and Barcelona for a UEFA Europa League showdown against the Red Devils.
