Manchester United were scratching around for a striker at the end of the January transfer window, and once again at the end of this summer’s transfer window as well.
It’s fair to say that Edinson Cavani looks a better piece of business than Odion Ighalo did, despite struggling for PSG last season.
But Cavani’s introduction to his United team-mates will apparently be delayed, owing to similar issues to the ones which faced Ighalo in February.
Ighalo was unable to train at United’s Carrington training complex for 14 days after arriving on loan from Shanghai Shenhua in January.
He also missed United’s warm weather training camp in Marbella, which would have provided a valuable opportunity to get to know his new team-mates.
His first start for United came 27 days into February.
Now, the similarities around the arrivals of Ighalo and Cavani do not start and end with their lateness, and accusations of panic from elsewhere.
Sky Sports report that Cavani will not be able to play in United’s next Premier League game because he is quarantining.
Many of United’s players are away on international duty, but it would have been useful for Cavani to have trained with the club over the next two weeks.
The club’s fitness staff need to get a grip of where he is and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer would no doubt have relished the chance to do some tactical work with him.
Some fans have pointed out that if United really wanted Cavani, they’d have signed him months ago.
What that means in practical terms is that United are now playing catch-up over his fitness, just as we did with Ighalo in February.
He could have been in the building, getting up to speed ahead of the start of the season. That could have invigorated a United squad which has started the season clearly feeling the impact of the one before.
But like Ighalo, Cavani has been robbed of a proper chance to get up to speed by United’s lack of planning and dithering in the transfer market.
Manchester United fixtures after the international break
- Newcastle United (A)
October 17 – 3pm
- PSG (A)
October 20 – 8pm
- Chelsea (H)
October 24 – 5.30pm
- RB Leipzig (H)
October 28 – 8pm
- Arsenal (H)
November 1 – 6.30pm
- Istanbul Basaksehir (A)
November 4- 5.55pm
- Everton (A)
November 7 – 3pm
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