Nani insists it is "normal" for Cristiano Ronaldo to want to leave Manchester United as he is in no position to wait for a long-term project to come to fruition.
The former Portugal winger, 35, played alongside Ronaldo, 37, for club and country and has defended his compatriot's desire to "continue to be at the top" amid the crisis at Old Trafford. The Red Devils have lost their opening two Premier League games by a combined scoreline of 6-1 in what has been a nightmare start for Erik ten Hag.
The Dutchman was appointed as United manager this summer, shortly before Ronaldo made it clear he would like to leave for a club which can offer him Champions League football. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner is the competition's record goalscorer and is desperate to enhance his legacy in the twilight years of his career, but Red Devils chiefs are keen to keep him.
United laboured to a sixth-place finish last season, so they will only take part in the Europa League this campaign, with the group stage beginning in September. Ten Hag had a fine track record at former club Ajax but it is clear it will take plenty of time and a drastic rebuild of the squad to replicate that success at United.
The size of the Dutchman's task has been laid bare by the Red Devils' diabolical start to the season, with Saturday's humbling 4-0 defeat by Brentford an early low point. Nonetheless, there remains hope that the highly-regarded manager will bring the good times back to Old Trafford in the years to come if he is given the time and investment he needs.
That is of little use for Ronaldo, however, as Nani has no doubt his former teammate "doesn't have time to lose on building teams". Instead, he needs a club which can offer him the chance of silverware in the short term.
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Speaking to Rio Ferdinand on his Vibe With Five podcast, Nani said: "It's a long time since we played together and Cristiano is not a kid anymore. Times change and the reactions and attitude can change as well. But, as we see, he's doing the same things as usual; he doesn't like to lose, he reacts when the team is not doing well.
"But the only difference is that it's different times. He's playing again at Man United but he's been all over the world doing well at different teams with different players. He's in a team where the managers are trying to build a strong team and it's not easy, it takes time.
"For Cristiano, he doesn't have time to lose on building teams or waiting for the next season. He wants to continue to be at the top, scoring goals, being the man. That's why the reaction is normal, we all have the wrong reactions sometimes."
