Melbourne Victory star Luis Nani is out for the remainder of the A-League season

Melbourne Victory’s roller-coaster A-League campaign has hit another devastating low with confirmation star recruit Luis Nani will miss the rest of the season with a serious knee injury.

The former Manchester United superstar, 36, was touted as one of the biggest signings in A-League history when he signed in July last year after four English Premier League (EPL) titles and a Champions League win for the Red Devils to Victory, as well as a host of other honors throughout his storied career.

Victory confirmed the winger had torn his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in a leg collision with Brisbane Roar’s Connor Chapman late in Victory’s 1-0 defeat on Friday night at an eerily quiet AAMI Park.

Melbourne Victory marquee superstar Nani has been ruled out for the remainder of the A-League season after suffering a cruciate ligament rupture on Friday night

During his 147-game career at Manchester United, Nani won four EPL titles (pictured celebrating with Christiano Ronaldo in 2009) and a Champions League, among a host of other accolades

Nani lies dejected and in pain on the lawn at AAMI Park after suffering what turned out to be a season-ending knee injury

Scans on Nani’s right knee confirmed the club’s worst fears of injury and Victory manager Tony Popovic said in a statement he was devastated for their recruit.

“We are all disappointed in Luis,” he said in the statement released Sunday morning.

“Luis has made a huge impact on the club through his leadership and experience and he will be an incredible loss to our squad.

“The whole club will rally around Luis and support him in his recovery.”

Nani joined the Victory ahead of the 2022/23 A-League season with much fanfare but unfortunately the club couldn’t live up to the hype.

After wowing fans with his mind-boggling speed and silky dribbling during his stints in Portugal, England, Spain, England and the USA and starring in Portugal winning the 2016 European Championship, Nani stuck to his nine starts for the win goalless.

The 36-year-old arrived in Australia alongside his former EPL striker Charlie Austin, who has signed for Brisbane, and the pair gave A-League fans plenty of hope that it would be their best season yet.

Nani made 147 appearances for Manchester United between 2007 and 2015, during which time the club enjoyed tremendous success

But both players are now lost to competition, with Austin citing family reasons for his return to Britain, where he has rejoined Swindon Town from League Two.

It was the third consecutive defeat for Popovic’s side, who slipped to 11th in the standings, ahead of bottom-placed Perth on goal difference.

The run of horrors has come as Victory are still awaiting full sanctions from Football Australia over last month’s violent invasion of the pitch during the aborted Melbourne derby.

17 people have now been handed lengthy bans – some of them life – for their part in the chaos that has been dubbed the ‘darkest day in Australian football’.

Nani was billed as a HUGE signing for the win after joining ahead of the 2022/23 season but the former Manchester United superstar disappointed and is now sidelined with injury

The Victory was also forced to only play in front of valid club members and cannot sell tickets as AAMI Park resembles more of a ghost town than a hive of football-related excitement.

It wasn’t exactly a successful year for the players either.

Only Perth have scored less than Victory’s nine goals in ten games.

Luckily for the basement dwellers, they have an opportunity to strengthen their squad in the January transfer window as Nani’s injury means they now have two spots vacant for foreign recruits.