Manchester United boss Solskjaer feels ex-PSG striker has extra motivation to do well against his former club tonight
Edinson Cavani. Picture/Getty Images
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said Edinson Cavani will be ready to face his old club Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on Wednesday despite the distraction of a Football Association investigation into a social media post by the Uruguayan.
Cavani's joy at coming off the bench to turn a 0-2 deficit into a 3-2 Premier League win at Southampton on Sunday with two goals and an assist was tempered as after the match he thanked a friend for his congratulations on Instagram using the Spanish term "negrito" (small black person).
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Despite the affectionate context, Cavani could still fall foul of the FA's minimum three-match ban for offensive comments on social media. "He's deeply sorry for the mistake he's made. There was no malicious intent at all, it was just an affectionate greeting to a friend of us and we explained to him," said Solskjaer at Tuesday's pre-match press conference.
Ole Solskjaer
"We'll support him but of course we support the FA. It's important the FA ask him to explain and it's out there for everyone to see because we want to be in the fight against discrimination with everyone."
Cavani is PSG's all-time top goalscorer after scoring 200 times in seven seasons in the French capital. But he was let go when his contract expired in June, not even hanging around for PSG's run to a first ever Champions League final in August.
After taking time to find his feet in Manchester, Cavani's impact at the weekend has put him in line to start up front in a huge game against his former club.
PSG trail United by three points at the top of Group H and face an embarrassing early exit if they lose at Old Trafford. "He's ready to play, it's special for him to play against PSG, his own club where he's the top scorer," added Solskjaer.
"That'll affect him mentally, but from knowing him, that will give him energy and he'll be ready. He's so professional, experienced he'll work on his mindset today to be ready for the game. The same goes to for the FA [investigation], he's learned a lesson, it might affect him but he'll just have to put it to one side when the game is on," said Solskjaer.
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