Edinson Cavani to Manchester United has been a fairly successful transfer so far. The forward moved from PSG to Manchester on a free transfer to act as able backup for either Marcus Rashford or Anthony Martial, but the club’s history with marksmen past their prime acted as a deterrent for fans to get excited. Eight months on, Cavani has scored 14 goals and assisted four in all competitions, and has led his team into the Europa League final after beating AS Roma.
Cavani scored four times over two legs and assisted twice in the first leg to help Ole Gunnar Solskjaer reach his first final as Manchester United manager. Not only was the Uruguayan at his clinical best in front of goal, but he also added an extra dimension to the team with his leadership qualities. The best of the latter came to the forefront when Cavani was seen to be defending his young teammate Mason Greenwood from Gianluca Mancini and Rick Karsdorp of AS Roma.
After a tussle for the ball, Greenwood and Mancini squared up to each other off the ball. When Karsdorp also entered the war of words, Cavani – who is one of the outright leaders of the Red Devils contingent – dragged himself into the heated discussion, shielding his young teammate from the duo of their frustrated opponents. Cavani sent Greenwood to safety and continued to offer resistance against Mancini and Karsdorp all by himself before Alex Telles dragged him away from the scene to end the discussion.
The moment was considered to be a wholesome one by United fans on social media after the match. Even though United lost 3-2 on the night despite Cavani striking twice, they progressed into the Europa League final – a clash against Villarreal in Gdansk three weeks from now. Fans will be hoping for ‘El Matador’ to conclude a successful season by lifting the trophy in Poland, a feat that will only courage the forward to sign an extension to his present one-year deal – and continue to aid his team with important goals as well as leadership ability and a voice in the dressing room.
