Edinson Cavani wanted to leave Old Trafford immediately after the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo
Edinson Cavani has revealed that the acquisition of Cristiano Ronaldo by Manchester United last summer caused him to reconsider his own future at the club.
Cavani’s contract with United ends at this summer, and he is set to become a free agent. A number of European teams have expressed interest in signing the him, but Argentine giants Boca Juniors are in pole position to sign him.
Cavani has played in half as many Premier League games this season as he did in his first season at United. However, his major absence from the squad this season has been because of injuries, while the Cristiano Ronaldo’s arrival has made him the less preferred striker to be in the starting line up.
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In an interview with ESPN Brazil, Cavani stated that following Ronaldo’s arrival, he called his brother and agent Walter Fernando Guglielmone to inform him that if this had happened earlier, he would have asked him to organize a transfer away from United last summer.
Cavani said: “Speaking the truth, because I always tell the truth, as it should be. The moment it happened, I thought it was good that Manchester United signed Cristiano. Knowing a little about the world of football today, the first thing I did was call my brother and I said: ‘Fernando, if this had happened a week ago, I would have asked you to sign another club’.
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“But this was not because I didn’t want to play with Cristiano Ronaldo. No. Because I had the opportunity to meet him, and he’s a great professional, with his goals, and that’s perfect for sportsmen. But as I know him, after years in football, how things are these days…hence the fact of talking to my brother.”
Cavani added: “It was more about understanding the situation. Not because I couldn’t play for my place at Manchester United, but because there are a lot of things in football today that are different from how they were with other coaches, how it was before, years ago. I thought: lets play, lets do the best we can.”
Cavani is one of a few of players who appear certain to depart United at this summer, with new manager Erik ten Hag aiming to do a squad overhaul when he arrives.
