EDINSON Cavani isn’t the first centre-forward to announce himself as a Manchester United player with a flurry of late goals at St Mary’s Stadium. It was on the south coast that Robin van Persie truly became a Red Devil, firing his new team to a 3-2 win with a stoppage time header having trailed to Southampton.
Van Persie bagged a hat-trick that day, but there were stark similarities between the immediate impact the Dutchman made for Manchester United and the way Cavani has given Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side genuine cutting edge in front of goal, scoring two late goals to snatch three valuable points.
Cavani has given United something they were previously lacking – a true number nine. Anthony Martial has the number nine shirt at Old Trafford, with Mason Greenwood and Marcus Rashford also capable of playing up front, but not one of these three players lives to find the back of the net like Cavani does. This was evident in the difference he made off the bench against Southampton.
“Sometimes when we’ve scored goals it’s had to be the perfect goal,” Solskjaer explained after Sunday’s comeback win, highlighting what Cavani offers. “We almost walk it in, there’s an extra pass or great skill or something. Edinson he’s been around the block, he’s scored so many goals, played football for so long, he’s been between those posts so many times so he knows.
“He’s seen this game before. He’s seen that cross before. He knows exactly what moment to move and he’s best friend in the box is what Sir Alex always used to tell me ‘your best friend in the box is space’ and he gets into that space at the perfect time.”
Solskjaer, as someone who scored 126 times for Manchester United, knows a good striker when he sees one. Many have compared the arrival of Cavani at Old Trafford to that of Zlatan Ibrahimovic in 2016, with both centre-forwards coming to the Premier League in the latter stage of their career having dominated elsewhere in Europe.
Ibrahimovic was a key figure for United for one season, but by the time he got to England he was nowhere near as fit and mobile as Cavani is now. Romelu Lukaku is another who has delivered as a centre-forward for the Old Trafford side in recent years, but the Belgian was misunderstood in the Premier League, frequently seen as a targetman when he is better with the ball at his feet and space to run into.
Instead, it’s van Persie who sets the clearest precedent for Cavani to follow. The Dutchman gave Sir Alex Ferguson’s side something they were previously lacking. Van Persie’s killer instinct was key to Manchester United getting over the line as Premier League champions, masking his team’s flaws that were brutally exposed after Ferguson’s retirement.
Cavani won’t turn Manchester United into Premier League champions like van Persie did, but there are already signs his arrival, coupled with the signing of Alex Telles, has changed the way United play. Cavani is far more capable of getting on the end of crosses into the box than Martial.
The problem for Manchester United could come if they become too dependent on Cavani, like they were on Ibrahimovic. With the Swede leading the line, Jose Mourinho’s side were frequently one-dimensional. Ibrahimovic’s teammates felt they could aim crosses and long balls into him regardless of whether that was the best option.
Solskjaer’s men mustn’t fall into the same pattern with Cavani. They must see him as another option, as another way to play, not the only way to play. Circumstances around Cavani’s singing on deadline day painted the picture of a club lacking direction and purpose, but the Uruguayan might just give United both things on the pitch.
