Edinson Cavani will face his most recent past tonight at Old Trafford, the Paris-Saint Germain. The Uruguayan could not meet his former team on October 20, since he was not part of the expedition that traveled to Paris. A month and a half later, Cavani has many ballots to play against the Parisian team and this is what Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has hinted at. “Edinson is ready to play. Of course, it is special for him to play against PSG, his old club where he is the top scorer, so that will affect him mentally.“, he commented in the press conference before the game.
Cavani arrives as the absolute protagonist of the appointment. First on the pitch because The Uruguayan striker is pushing harder and harder to gain a place in the eleven of the Red Devils: he scored a double against Southampton. Then out of the green when he thanked the compliment of a follower on Instagram with a controversial “thank you, black boy”. The FA immediately opened an investigation for racial discrimination. Solskjaer has ruled on the matter and defends both the Salto and the decision made by the FA: “We will support Cavani, but we also support the FA. It is important that the FA has asked him to explain himself. We want to be in the fight against discrimination.” Also, consider that “There was no malicious intention, it was just a warm greeting to a friend of his”.
Wrapped up by this complex situation, the Uruguayan will try to retaliate against a team in which he played seven seasons (2013-2020) and was established as the top scorer in history of the Parisian entity, with 200 goals. Some benefits that did not even allow Cavani to leave PSG in style, always in the shadow of big media names like Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Neymar Júnior or Kyllian Mbappé. The divorce was traumatic. Cavani, who arrived in the middle of the Qatari revolution, did not participate in the masterpiece, the Champions League final, which the sheik dreamed of so many times Nasser Al-Khelaïfi.
The Uruguayan's contract expired in June and PSG no longer knocked on his door, which resulted in a grotesque absence in the most important section of the season, attending to the brilliant numbers harvested in Paris. Today Cavani tries to recycle at 33 years old. The task is not proving easy: he has scored three goals in eight games. Mbappé spoke openly about his former teammate in October: “I wish him the best, but he is no longer one of us.” Cavani will try tonight to replicate with what he does best and make good his nickname “El Matador”.