As we covered earlier in the week, Manchester United summer transfer window deadline day signing Edinson Cavani will have to miss out on the next game for his new club. it has now been confirmed that the centre-forward won’t be available for the away match versus Newcastle United, due to COVID-19 precautions and travel protocols.
El Matador, coming to Britain from a coronavirus hot spot in France, has had to isolate for two weeks upon arriving in the United Kingdom with his new club. It appears his
? Ole will have a key decision to make for who leads the line at Newcastle on Saturday… ??#MUFC #NEWMUN
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) October 13, 2020
“Cavani is being forced to self-isolate due to COVID-19 guidelines following his arrival into the country from France which means he is unable to make his debut at St James’ Park,” a club statement reads.
“The Uruguay international will be free to play against his former club Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League if deemed fit and ready for action.”
The very first game Cavani will be available for selection is, wait for it, wait for it, the UEFA Champions League group stage opener against his former club Paris Saint-Germain on Oct. 21. And it means that United’s options at striker for this weekend will be limited to Marcus Rashford, Odion Ighalo and Anthony Martial.
The pandemic precautions mean that Cavani can only train in isolation, and not with the team, as he did not arrive at the club from a securely monitored bubble. While Cavani isn’t really that much of a game changer all by himself, you’re seeing right now why it was so dumb and lazy of Manchester United to wait until the 11th hour of the summer transfer window to go and get the Uruguay international.
Had it not been for the club’s idleness and thumb twiddling for so much of the window, they could have signed him earlier and had him available now.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank, partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and SB Nation. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.