Edinson Cavani is proving to the doubters that age is just a number, as he has directly contributed to 11 league goals in just under 1200 minutes of Premier League football. When joining Manchester United on a free transfer in October 2020, majority of football supporters were expecting him to be another Angel di Maria, Memphis Depay or Radamel Falcao, a few well-known players that moved to Old Trafford with high expectations on their heads but failed to deliver and settle into the club.
However, the Uruguayan international has made an instant impact on and off the pitch, from leading the line in the number nine role to showing his winning mentality and most importantly, rubbing it onto the younger players in Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood. Not only that, but he also offers something different when compared to the other forwards, as his movement in the final third is simply top notch and his aerial presence allows the wide players to cross into the box frequently.
With Anthony Martial having an awful season compared to his usual standards, scoring seven goals in 45 appearances in all competition for club and country, both Manchester United and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer have been able to handle the situation to some extent due to the goods provided by the former Napoli and Paris Saint-Germain centre-forward. Given that the Frenchman is out with a knee injury for the remainder of the season, if Cavani continues to work on his performances and attacking numbers week in and out, his stocks as an important player will continue to rise for sure.
For sure, he has not enjoyed his first full season in England to full effect, as the country have been in a strict lockdown for majority of the period and he has not received the perfect welcoming from the Old Trafford faithful, who are yet to attend the stadium since March 2020. Also, he had to wait a couple of games before making his debut for the side, due to the quarantine rules of self-isolating for 10 to 14 days when entering the country, preventing him from getting off the ground instantly.
Despite the rumours linking him with a return to South America, he still has the work rate, the fine movement off the ball and most importantly, he knows where the back of the net is, in order to have more one quality season in Europe before moving to Argentina or Uruguay. Likewise, one more year of the striker, who is aging like fine wine, will prevent the club from worrying about bringing in a forward this summer, as Erling Haaland or Harry Kane will not come cheap for any potential buyers.
Overall, it would be a no brainer for Edinson Cavani to stay at the football club for another season as they are currently in second place in the Premier League and have recently qualified for the Europa League final. Should they finish the campaign with a silverware, along with having a dominant summer transfer window and keeping the South American hitman for the 2021-22 season, then the side should have their best chances of competing in all competition since the Sir Alex Ferguson era.
And lastly, with the club’s lack of ability to complete deals effectively and in a smooth manner like how rival clubs in Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City do, it would not be a surprise to see them offering Cavani a contract extension on the final days of the season, allowing them to focus on the priority signings in Declan Rice and Jadon Sancho, who are linked with the club on a regular basis.
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