Ralf Rangnick has told Edinson Cavani he will not be allowed to leave Manchester United in the January transfer window.
The veteran Uruguay striker has been tipped to leave Old Trafford, with Barcelona among a number of European clubs said to have an interest in him.
Cavani’s leisurely departure from the field following Thursday’s 3-1 win over Burnley led to speculation that he had played his last game for the club – a notion that Rangnick rejected out of hand.
“We had quite a few conversations the last couple of weeks,” said Rangnick. “He’s probably the player with whom I’ve spoken the most. I told him the very first day, for me he is a highly important player.
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“And his professionalism, his work ethic is just amazing. I told him I desperately want him to stay until the end of the season.
“He knows that. He also knows how highly I rate him, how highly I respect him. That’s also the reason I played him against Burnley from the start with Cristiano [Ronaldo].”
Cavani’s future has possibly been influenced by the fact that United striker Anthony Martial has asked to leave the club this month with Rangnick appearing far more open to that possibility.
But despite the interim manager having claimed United had a large squad when he took over from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, he is no longer keen to trim it this month due to the Covid-19 crisis.
Cavani saying his goodbyes? ????pic.twitter.com/d0y79bH89b
— The United Stand (@UnitedStandMUFC) December 30, 2021
“It depends,” said Rangnick. “I know from some players they would want to leave but we spoke about Edinson and he knows I definitely would not let him go.
“For me, he is a highly important player for the rest of the season and we will definitely need him. I would rather have another Edi on top of that! For me, it is clear he will stay.
“Maybe the squad is a little too big with regard to numbers. But we still have COVID, we are still in three competitions so we could do with a bigger squad than in times without COVID.
“Anthony made it very clear he wants to leave and, in a way, I can understand his wish to leave and try and play more regularly.
“But again, it’s not a question of what he wants to do. It’s a question of what interest there is in him and the demands of this club. He’s not injured currently but I decided to go with those players currently in the squad (against Burnley).”
Another reason for Rangnick’s insistence that Cavani remains in his squad lies in the over-reliance currently being placed on 36-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo in attack.
The United manager has no qualms about selecting the veteran for a third game in eight days at home to Burnley on Monday but acknowledges the need to have Cavani as cover should the Portuguese need a rest at some stage.
“I don’t see any reason why he shouldn’t be able to play another game,” said Rangnick.
“Physically, he seems to be fit. He’s doing everything. He’s a top professional who looks after himself, his body, eats the right things. At the age of 36, I’ve never seen a player of his age – maybe [Zlatan] Ibrahimovic was a bit older, but he’s a different kind of player.
“I don’t see why he wouldn’t be able to play three games in eight days but if, at one stage, I need to rest him, it’s not a problem. Then it was even more important to have Edinson in the squad.”
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/3zfs4pr
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