Maybe now, with the goal drought over, the time for Manucho to deliver for Hull City has come.
A school of thought has claimed, with reason, that the heroic, symbolic 92nd minute goal at Fulham which grasped City a terrific, long-overdue and heart-stopping win might be the making of the gawky Angolan striker. That goal will be the one which relieves the pressure on him and makes him into a vital and viable member of the Tigers squad.
An alternative school of thought may claim, also with reason, that the goal conversely piles extra pressure on his young, raw shoulders. The less far-sighted City fan may now expect such goals to arrive every week as we endeavour to keep our claws dug into a spot above the relegation zone. John Barnes beat the entire Brazil defence and was suddenly expected to work similar miracles each and every time he pulled on an England shirt. The comparison is relevant, even if the players and expectations are very different.
The goal scored by the young man born Mateus Alberto Contreiras Gonçalves was well-timed for another reason beyond the obvious. Until his 75th minute appearance at Craven Cottage, we had seen, frankly, next to nothing impressive from him since his arrival on loan from Manchester United. Comparisons were made, by this author and others, with Ricardo Vaz Te, the gangly, pogo-legged centre forward whom Phil Brown brought in from Bolton Wanderers to alleviate a relegation battle two seasons ago and quickly sent back again as an abject failure.
The one thing Manucho has had on his side is effort. He puts it in, but as so many players have found over the years in a City shirt, endeavour is often not enough to a) achieve the required end product; and b) win over the Tiger Nation. Manucho has been hampered by lack of starting opportunities, initially thanks to the more obvious presence of Daniel Cousin, and then thanks to his own lack of impact on matches which allowed non-striker Richard Garcia to get on to the teamsheet when Cousin went under the knife.
Manucho must know something about pressure, given that he has Manchester United's hallowed name next to his and therefore already is aware that anyone deemed good enough to be paid - if not played - by Sir Alex Ferguson is going to have wizardry expected of him if and when he goes somewhere lesser. Ultimately, he may just be a pawn within a bigger game being played by Brown as he spies another Manchester United centre forward currently seeking better fortune - a certain Fraizer Campbell.
Maybe that's what it's all about - taking on Manucho was a sweetening act designed to persuade United to send Campbell back to the KC, this time permanently, when the summer comes. True or not, one hopes that Manucho's remaining time with us is mutually productive and Campbell's time with us comes again soon.
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