Cavani, who is in contention to be included in the squad for the Premier League meeting with Aston Villa, could soon link up with Ronaldo up front.
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Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is of the opinion that Edinson Cavani and Cristiano Ronaldo could form a “good partnership” up front. Following Ronaldo’s return to the club last month, Ole has now confirmed that Cavani has returned to training this week after a recent injury problem. Cavani, who is in contention to be included in the squad for the Premier League meeting with Aston Villa, might soon link up with Ronaldo up front. “It’s exciting to see them two together,” Ole told the media when asked about the possibility of the pair lining up alongside each other for United this season.
“I’m sure that’ll be a good partnership as well, [two players] wanting to be on the end of things. We’ve seen some teams dropping deeper against us, not giving us as much space in behind and that’s definitely two boys you’d like to have around the goal when that’s the scenario. I can see them two working well together.”
Solskjaer also provided fitness update on Edinson Cavani. “He’s in the squad tomorrow. He’s been training and now he feels ready to contribute. Of course, he came on against Wolverhampton then he got a slight strain in the international break when we had a game. He’s ready again. He’s worked really hard, like he always does and hopefully he’ll have an impact like he had last season,” the manager said.
United have a wealth of experience up front, thanks to Edinson Cavani and Cristiano Ronaldo’s presence. Speaking about Ronaldo, who has netted four times in his first three games back, Ole said, “We knew he [Ronaldo] was going to have a great impact on and off the pitch.”
The manager added: “Cristiano is still so professional. The discipline he’s showed throughout his career, to make the most of his career, is going to rub off on team-mates, and of course, scoring goals will only help that impact. So, I’ve been delighted. He’s been absolutely top, his work rate, his attitude going into games and his communication too.”
Last weekend, David De Gea made a crucial last-gasp penalty save against West Ham United to secure all three points for the club. Notably, De Gea has been in splendid form since the start of the season. “He called me this summer to end his summer holiday earlier to come back and start his pre-season before [the squad returned]. He wanted to be ready, he wanted to be the best possible version of himself. Of course, last season was a challenging one for David as he didn’t play as many games as he normally has done,” Ole said about De Gea.
“That was because Dean [Henderson] came in and did really well. I’m fortunate to have those options, now Tom [Heaton]’s come in as well. David has really worked, he’s been so focused. Physically he’s better, mentally he’s better and when you feel that you’ve done the work, you get personal bests on quite a few physical tests, I think that gives you confidence. It gives you motivation and inspiration. He plays behind a strong back four and to play in front of David when he’s in this form, it’s also good for them.”
Ronaldo was involved in a couple of penalty shouts last weekend, but did not get any in his favour. “We just have to hope we get what we deserve. We should have had three penalty in the last three games. I don’t know but there was a certain manager last year that started worrying about us getting penalties and after that it seems like decisions are more difficult to give. Surely, I’ve seen a big difference since then. We just have to leave it to the refs to make the right calls very soon,” Solskjaer said.
