According to the Daily Star, Manchester United’s new signing Edinson Cavani is in line to make his debut for the club as they take on Newcastle United on October 17th, after the international break.
Despite not featuring for Paris Saint-Germain after the resumption of football in the summer as he waited his next move following the expiration of his deal in the French capital, the 33-year-old striker is understood to be in contention for the game at St. James’ Park. Coaching staff at Carrington are believed to be ready to put the Uruguayan star on a specialised fitness regime in order to feature amid pressure to succeed following their 6-1 home loss to Tottenham Hotspur.
While it is no doubt hard to argue against Cavani’s stunning record in Europe, United have been here before. Indeed, following their last dramatic deadline day splurge in which the club moved to bring in the likes of Radamel Falcao to supplement Angel di Maria, Leicester City (prior to their title-winning heroics) were able to rip a disjointed United side apart. As the Colombian bedded in (though he had made his debut before the infamous 5-3 loss at the King Power), the tactical flaws in their team were exploited time and time again by the Foxes, including a first Premier League goal for a certain Jamie Vardy.
No two games are the same of course but that fixture should serve as a reminder for Newcastle – big names don’t mean anything in the Premier League, particularly when they have been assembled together in a haphazard fashion. Cavani, as good as he has been over the years, won’t answer the defensive issues so prevalent in their ranks and will have little time to prepare with his team-mates tactically considering the break in club football.
Linked with a move to St. James’ Park earlier this year, Cavani’s first appearance there shouldn’t scare the Magpies at all.