Edinson Cavani missed the Manchester derby through injury and the club has today revealed the extent of his tendon problem.
The 34-year-old has struggled with injuries ever since his move to United, which came as a surprise free transfer from Paris Saint-Germain last year. Like Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who made a similar move in 2016, many United fans will wish he arrived earlier in his career.
When manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer switched his formation against Tottenham Hotspur – to a 5-3-2 – Cavani appeared alongside Cristiano Ronaldo. He also made a substitute appearance against Atalanta in the Champions League but didn’t make the squad for the disappointing 2-0 derby defeat last Saturday.
On top of that, news came prior to the derby that Uruguay decided to leave Cavani out of their squad (via Manchester Evening News), so word clearly got back home early on because on Monday the player decided to publicly confirm that the striker would undergo treatment on a tendon injury.
Speaking to local newspaper El Observador, Cavani said: “The issue was like this. Before starting the season, I had discomfort in the tendon.
“It made me spend a couple of weeks out until I began to gain some minutes [on the pitch] in my team. I had to go back to the national team, always with a bit of pain, but with the hope that it would disappear.
“It was improving but, after Tottenham, it started coming back.”
“They are difficult injuries,” he admitted. “And I decided to have the treatment so that it does not continue to get worse, and to recover as soon as possible to be fit for my team and the national team.”
The official Manchester United website has recited the interview.
SN’s verdict…
It’s a massive blow that Cavani has suffered so many injuries during his time at United because I definitely wanted him to play more than he has. This news comes as another step backwards knowing his time at the club is likely to end this summer.
We can only hope this is nothing serious because the king of Uruguay gives us something different up front. Even at his age, he still presses like a dog and brings urgency to the side in ways Cristiano Ronaldo doesn’t.
At least Marcus Rashford will be firing and ready after the internationals – continuing his form in front of goal since returning from the shoulder operation.
