Solskjaer reveals why he subbed off Cavani at half-time

Manchester United put in the performance of their season as they demolished Southampton 9-0, to significantly improve their goal difference and make a statement after mostly squeezing out wins over the past few months. And while that is a good habit to have, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side showed that they can turn on the style as well.

Southampton were coming into the game out of form, having lost their previous three games but even they could have seen such a heavy defeat coming.

Alex Jankewitz was sent off in the second minute itself and it was all downhill for the Saints from there on. And it was not a one man show for United either as Marcus Rashford, Edinson Cavani, Anthony Martial, Scott McTominay, Bruno Fernandes, Daniel James and Aaron Wan-Bissaka, all found the back of the net.

One decision that might have raised a few eyebrows though was Solskjaer’s decision to bring off Cavani at half-time. The Manchester United manager explained his decision, as reported by GOAL:

"“Edinson got a bad tackle on his ankle so he had to come off.“He probably would have loved to be out there scoring goals. But there was no point in taking any risks.”"

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This could be a huge boost for Manchester United going forward

You would hope that the injury was not too bad and the decision was taken only because the game had already been won at that time. Cavani has been United’s best striker this season and they will want him to remain fully fit going forward as they look to overtake Manchester City.

At the end of the day, it turned out to be a positive thing as Martial came on and found the back of the net twice. This will be a huge confidence boost for the Frenchman who has found it difficult this season and hopefully, he can kick off from here and go on a good run of form.

It is important to remember that all games won’t be this easy. But even then, it is a promising sign that multiple United players found their rhythm after what had been a tough week for them. Now the important thing will be to make this count.