Manchester United’s position on renewing Edinson Cavani contract again explained | Football

Manchester United have accepted Edinson Cavani will leave the club on a free transfer, according to reports. The Uruguay international has struggled for action this term, with the return of Cristiano Ronaldo and continuous injury problems impacting his season. And it seems the 35-year-old now has just mere months left at Old Trafford.

United didn’t initially plan on signing Cavani back in the summer transfer window of 2020.

However, having missed out on Jadon Sancho that year, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer then decided to land the former Paris Saint-Germain star on a free transfer.

Cavani took a while to get going but ended with an impressive 17 goals to his name across all competitions, helping the club finish second in the Premier League and make the Europa League final in the process.

But it’s been a frustrating season so far, with the former Napoli star restricted to just 11 league appearances.

And The Athletic say that United have accepted Cavani will leave for nothing at the end of the campaign.

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La Liga has been mooted as a potential destination for the forward and Barcelona specifically.

The Catalan titans were able to strengthen their frontline in January, raiding Manchester City and Arsenal for Ferran Torres and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

Yet Xavi wants more firepower and Cavani, as a proven goalscorer, would represent another alternative when it comes to his attack.

Speaking at the time of his renewal last year, meanwhile, the 35-year-old hailed Solskjaer for the way he handled his game time.

“Talking about the relationship with the manager, I think that any influence he has had hasn’t just been now at the moment of signing a new contract, but from the very first moment, even before I had signed, with conversations that I had with the manager,” he said.

“The way that he put his trust in me, the way that he made his feelings known about me and the confidence that he had with me, that was great from the word go.

“But over time and as the months have passed, the situation has just confirmed what I originally thought about Ole and that confidence that he gave me.

“Obviously, as time has gone on and games have passed by, he has made some really positive comments privately and in the media about me, as have my team-mates and the technical staff, the backroom staff, here, so that really, really helps as well.

“I think when you are a player, it gives you a huge amount of confidence when you know you have the backing of not only your manager but also other people around you.

“When you do get glowing comments about you, that is a real positive and is something that you are really grateful for.”

Cavani recently missed United’s matches against Brighton and Southampton – and interim boss Ralf Rangnick delivered an update on his condition.

“Yes, I would have loved to have him in the squad and maybe brought him onto the pitch in the second half against Southampton, but it was not possible,” he said.

“If it is frustrating or not, it would have been good to have him available.

“But in the end, he’s old enough – by the way its Edinson’s birthday today – I think he is old enough to know if his body is ready in order to play or not.”

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