Edinson Cavani to Manchester United was confirmed on transfer deadline day but we will have to wait a little longer than previously expected to see El Matador in the Premier League.
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Cavani, 33, has had to self-isolate for two weeks upon his arrival in the UK from France and although he can do individual fitness work in Manchester he will not be available for team training and Manchester United’s trip to Newcastle on Oct. 17.
Here is more info from our partners at Sky Sports:
“Having been a free agent, Cavani has not been part of an elite sport ‘bubble’ meaning he is not exempt from the 14-day quarantine which people arriving from France must adhere to under current coronavirus guidelines.”
The first game he will be available for is, of course, the UEFA Champions League group stage opener against his former club Paris Saint-Germain on Oct. 21. Funny how these things work out, right?
With Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial and Mason Greenwood around, United should be more than set from an attacking perspective but it’s at the other end of the pitch where they have big problems...
Cavani’s arrival on a free transfer with a one-year contract, which he has an option to extend by another year, was a no-brainer for Manchester United given his supreme goalscoring ability in Italy and France over the last decade. Cavani has been handed the No. 7 shirt and he is expected to play a key role for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
However, did they really need to sign him? It seems like they brought him in for the sake of it and although Cavani will help Rashford, Greenwood and Co. develop, how much will he play? Can he stay fit? How much does he have left in the tank?
Cavani could be an inspired signing a la Zlatan Ibrahimovic or a total flop like Radamel Falcao. There really is no middle ground here and Edinson Cavani to Manchester United will be a success if he can score 20-25 goals this season. That’s the harsh reality.
Martial still seems better out wide so maybe he will shift to the right and take Greenwood’s place and they can share the responsibility of supporting Cavani up top and Marcus Rashford who is a shoe-in to start on the left.
There’s no doubting Cavani’s quality but without a game under his belt since March -- he left PSG in July on a free transfer and after struggling with injuries -- it will be intriguing to see what kind of shape he’s in when we finally get to see him play for Manchester United.