United must face the real Nafti - Black

Sep 28 2007 By Colin Tattum, Birmingham Mail

Blues face Manchester United at St Andrew's tomorrow (5.15pm) with the Reds being told that they will face the 'real' Mehdi Nafti.

The midfielder, who made his debut at Old Trafford after signing on loan from Racing Santander in 2005, is on top of his game, said coach Eric Black.

"At Liverpool last week I thought the back four - five, if you like - were superb," he said. "Mehdi just rose above that slightly. He contributed in just about every aspect of the game. He ran himself into a standstill.

"It has been difficult for him here. He has not always been picked and he has had injuries. He missed the whole of our last season in the Premier League with a serious knee injury.

"I think now he's over that and having had a full pre-season, we are starting to see the real Mehdi Nafti and the quality he can obviously give us."