Sevilla's Nzonzi returning to England with point to prove: Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano RonaldoIf Steven Nzonzi had things his way he might have been facing Cristiano Ronaldo and Real Madrid in the Champions League last week rather than Manchester United on Tuesday The former Stoke City and Blackburn Rovers midfielder has admitted regret at not completing a deal last summer to join Paris SaintGermain who are still licking their wounds following a 52 aggregate defeat to the reigning European champions Born in the northern suburbs of Paris and a product of PSGs youth system the transfer back to France had a certain pull for the 29yearoldIm Parisian and like all Parisians its nice to play for your hometown team Nzonzi told French television show Canal Football Club It would have been a good thing but it did not happen A tendency for itchy feet has been a recurring theme of Nzonzis career the midfielder handing in two transfer requests in successive summers at Stoke before finally leaving for Sevilla in 2015 He bade farewell to the Premier League with a thundering longrange strike against Liverpool in a 61 win that was also Steven Gerrards final game for his boyhood team Another meeting with Liverpool a 33 draw in the Champions League in November looked likely to prompt another move after a bustup with coach Eduardo Berizzo led to Nzonzi being substituted at halftimeMy future is clearly away from Sevilla Nzonzi said The only thing that disappoints me is the way it has ended But instead it was Berizzo who left sacked a month later and Nzonzi stayed only to regain momentum and favour under current coach Vincenzo Montella Ill talk to him to know his state of mind Montella said at his opening press conference Nzonzi has played in 16 out of Sevillas 17 games since the turn of the yearFighting for World Cup placeEven at international level Sam Allardyce was prompted by Nzonzis father to enquire whether the midfielder could be eligible to play for England a possibility ended by a single cap earned for France under21s Nzonzi won his first two caps for Frances senior team in November Compared in his early days to a young Patrick Vieira Nzonzi is now looking to cause the kind of havoc the former Arsenal destroyer once regularly orchestrated at Old Trafford Nzonzi has no need for extra motivation As well as being linked with other Premier League teams like Arsenal and Chelsea in the past he is currently fighting for a place in Frances World Cup squad United were secondbest for much of the last 16 first leg between the sides at the Sanchez Pizjuan a fortnight ago but a 00 draw leaves Jose Mourinhos side with their noses slightly in frontNzonzi had perhaps the best chance of the first leg but his closerange header was tipped over by David de Gea one of several superb saves he made on the night Without an away goal to sustain them however United will be vulnerable if Sevilla can finally find a way past the Spanish goalkeeper We had chances but it could not be Nzonzi said after the game We know that De Gea is a great goalkeeper but we will continue fighting in the next game and we hope to win there Sevilla know too that their run in this years Champions League could be their last for a while given a 20 defeat to Valencia on Saturday leaves them 11 points adrift of La Ligas top four We have to forget this defeat and think about Tuesday It can be a historic match for the club if we get into the quarterfinals said Montella at the weekendCatch up on all the latest sports news and updates here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updatesThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever