The arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo
While most people had expected Edinson Cavani to be Manchester United’s main striker this season, things took an unexpected turn when the club were able to bring back Cristiano Ronaldo to the Theatre of Dreams.
The Red Devils had been linked on-and-off with a move for Ronaldo for over a decade, with the Portuguese superstar leaving the club for Real Madrid back in 2009 in a then world-record transfer move.
Now back at Old Trafford, Ronaldo was immediately placed back into the starting XI at striker and understandably so, with him being one of the best players in the history of the game.
This though meant that Cavani lost his place in the team and on top of everything else, he struggled with injury problems once again.
Cavani’s return to the starting XI picture and then another exit
Cavani would return to the starting XI when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer tried a system with two up front as the club continued to struggle.
And after some initial success, many felt that the Red Devils had found a potential solution to their problems.
But in a case of terrible timing, Cavani would pick up an injury problem once again and ultimately, Solskjaer was shown the exit door.
Rangnick arrived at Manchester United as the club’s interim manager and he would try a 4-2-2-2 system. The side did not look comfortable playing that though and since then, he has moved back to playing with just one striker. This has meant that Cavani is back on the bench once again.
Manchester United have Cavani decision to make
As he showed with his late assist against West Ham United, Cavani has a lot to offer to this Manchester United side, even as an effective substitute.
But would he be happy with playing just that role till the end of the season, with his current deal running out in the summer?