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Manchester United striker Edinson Cavani took to social media on deadline day to dispel rumors of an impending move to Barcelona. The Uruguayan’s place in the Red Devils’ team has come under threat since the return of Cristiano Ronaldo to Old Trafford. The Portuguese was finally announced by the Premier League giants on Tuesday.
Ronaldo's arrival will improve Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s options in attack after the Norwegian added Jadon Sancho to his roster earlier this summer. Solksjaer also has the likes of Cavani, Mason Greenwood, Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial and Jesse Lingard to call upon this season.
However, the Manchester United manager has revealed that he plans to use Cristiano Ronaldo as a center forward, which means Cavani’s game time at Old Trafford could be severely impacted. The Uruguayan was subsequently linked with a late exit on the final day of the summer transfer window, with Barcelona enquiring about his services.
However, Cavani dismissed those claims via social media on Tuesday evening. The Uruguayan shared a post on his Instagram story, confirming that he would stay at Old Trafford this season. The post, which was shared by a fanpage and subsequently by Cavani himself, was captioned:
“@FabrizioRom: Edinson Cavani will 100% NOT join Barcelona on #DeadlineDay.”
The former Paris Saint-Germain footballer also shared a related post from the official account of Manchester United. The post depicted him displaying his iconic celebration in front of Cristiano Ronaldo and other members of the Red Devils squad.
Barcelona were seemingly looking for a pocket-friendly striker to lead the line following the departure of Lionel Messi. The Catalans were also looking to offset Sergio Aguero’s injury by bringing Cavani to the Camp Nou. It is unclear how the La Liga giants would have paid his wages given their financial woes. The Uruguayan currently earns £250,000 per week with Manchester United.
Edinson Cavani remains integral to Manchester United’s plans this season
Edinson Cavani signed a one-year extension with the Red Devils earlier in May, after finishing the 2020-21 campaign with 17 goals from 39 games in all competitions. The Uruguayan came off the bench for his first appearance of the season during the 1-1 draw against Wolverhampton Wanderers last weekend. He is set to feature prominently in Solskjaer’s plans for the days ahead.
The Norwegian is evidently spoilt for choice in attack at the moment. Solksjaer will be hoping to strike a balance in offense as he chases the first silverware since taking charge of Manchester United.
