Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has reluctantly admitted that his side missed the experienced presence of Edinson Cavani during Wednesday night’s Carabao Cup semi-final defeat to Manchester City.
After losing 0-2 to rivals City on Wednesday, United were sent crashing out of the Cup at the semi-final stage for the second time in as many seasons.
Despite naming a strong side to take-on Pep Guardiola’s men, United struggled to stamp their authority on the game all evening and were ultimately out-played by a brilliant City side.
Solskjaer’s starting 11 included just two changes from the side who beat Aston Villa, with Dean Henderson coming in for David De Gea and Victor Lindelof included ahead of Eric Bailly.
However, speaking after Wednesday’s crushing defeat, Solskjaer was quick to draw attention to a change that has been forced upon him after the FA decided to ban Cavani for three matches.
Asked Solskjaer how much #mufc missed Cavani: ‘Edinson could have caused some havoc in there with his movement and presence in the box.’ #mufc
— Samuel Luckhurst (@samuelluckhurst) January 7, 2021
The 33-year-old elite forward was recently handed a shocking three match ban after the FA ruled the South American had used racial language on social media.
Despite the absurd decision, Cavani’s ban was upheld with the South American not set to return until United face-off against Burnley next week.
Solskjaer and the rest of United’s hierarchy are clearly bitterly disappointed with the decision, but does the Norwegian’s disappointment signal just how razor thin the Reds’ squad is, in some areas?
Would Cavani have made a difference against City? – Let us know in the comments.