Told Edinson Cavani that I desperately want him to stay until end of season, reveals Ralf Rangnick
Edinson Cavani has made 10 appearances this season
|Manchester United’s interim boss Ralf Rangnick has admitted that he has told Edinson Cavani to stay until the end of the season and that the club won’t be letting him leave in January. The 34-year-old has struggled for game-time over the last six months but has slowly been transitioned back.
After a very impressive 2020/21 season, many expected Edinson Cavani to kick on but the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo has seen the 34-year-old’s game-time drop-off. However, injuries have also played their part with the forward making just 10 appearances across all competitions, scoring just twice. It saw rumours indicate that the former PSG man could be on his way out in January with Barcelona reportedly interested in signing him.
However, the arrival of Ralf Rangnick has turned things around with the forward playing in the club’s last two league games, even scoring against Newcastle United. Not only that, the German boss has confirmed that the club has no plans of selling Edinson Cavani in January as the forward is a keep part of the team. The Manchester United interim boss also added that he has already spoken to Cavani and told him that the club needs him until the end of the season.
“We had a few conversations in the last couple of weeks – probably the player with whom I have spoken most. I told him from the first day that he is a highly important player. He is probably the only one who can play as a striker back to goal and face to goal,” Rangnick said, reported the Guardian.
“His professionalism, his work ethic is amazing and I told him that I desperately want him to stay until the end of the season. He also knows how highly I rate him and respect him, and that was also the reason why I played him from the beginning together with Cristiano [against Burnley].
“He knows that I will definitely not let him go. I would rather have another Edi on top of that but for me it’s clear that Edi has to stay. With regard to the other players [leaving in the transfer window], yes, our squad is maybe a bit big with regards to numbers but we still have Covid, we have three competitions.”
Rangnick also opened up about Donny van de Beek with rumours indicating that the Dutch midfielder is another man who is looking to leave the club. The midfielder has struggled immensely since arriving at Manchester United with a lack of game-time under the former management, and things haven’t changed under Rangnick. But the German has revealed that he has had a conversation with Van de Beek about his future and game-time.
“He’s got a top mentality, works hard in every training session. A team player through and through and there will be games where he will get his chance. I also had a longer conversation with him about that and of course it’s difficult for him right now because he also wants to play for the national team. But I still believe that we should keep him, definitely until the end of this season,” he added.
