Portugal winger Nani needs to prove his worth in order to reclaim his role as a regular starter for the national team, according to coach Paulo Bento. Nani endured an injury-plagued 2012-13 Premier League campaign during which he played less than half of Manchester United's fixtures. The 26-year-old, who has more than 60 caps, was included on Tuesday in Bento's 23-man squad for next week's friendly against Netherlands on the Algarve but the coach said he was no longer a first-choice starter. "He will now have to put in a bit of effort to recover what was once his - the role of playing nearly every time," Bento told a news conference. "That did not happen in the last few matches. He needs to do his bit and then we will see what we will do." Cape Verde-born Nani gave way to VfL Wolfsburg winger Vieirinha in the last few internationals, including a precious 1-0 win over Russia in June that sent Portugal to the top of the World Cup Group F qualifying table. "He (Nani) has had to cope with Vieirinha who did extremely well in our recent matches against Azerbaijan, Israel, Russia and Croatia," Bento said. Nani missed United's pre-season tour of Asia after having an operation on his nose. "We still called him in because of his great quality and potential," Bento said. (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at@AO Sportsand on Facebook atAhramOnlineSports) http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/78467.aspx
