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| Manchester United's Portuguese striker Cristiano Ronaldo (2R) celebrates with Manchester United's Spanish goalkeeper David de Gea (R), Manchester United's Brazilian midfielder Fred (L) and Manchester United's Uruguayan striker Edinson Cavani at the final whistle in the UEFA Champions league group F football match between Manchester United and Villarreal at Old Trafford stadium in Manchester, north west England, on September 29, 2021. - |
Manchester United have been rocked by a double selection blow with both Fred and Edinson Cavani set to be unavailable for the trip to Leicester City after the international break.
Fred and Cavani have jetted off to link up with Brazil and Uruguay respectively for the next fortnight.
The South American duo are even set to go head-to-head when their countries clash next Friday.
And with that fixture coming just 24 hours before United resume their Premier League campaign with a trip to Leicester, boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be without the pair for the crunch clash.
It's expected that the duo will feature in all three of their countries' international fixtures over the next two weeks - leaving Solskjaer with a selection headache.
It could hardly come at a worse time for the Norwegian, with pressure beginning to mount on the Old Trafford chief.
United have won just one of their last four games, and a disappointing 1-1 draw with Everton before the international break has put Solskjaer on the backfoot.
Unfortunately for the beleaguered boss, things won't get any easier after the break as United prepare to embark on a daunting run of fixtures.
Following the trip to Leicester, United face Liverpool, Tottenham and Manchester City in their next three Premier League fixtures, as well as Atalanta, who top Group F, home and away in the Champions League.
Whilst the Old Trafford hierarchy gave Solskjaer another public display of support by handing his assistant Mike Phelan a new long-term deal this week, a nightmare run of results could test their stance.
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| (left to right) Manchester United's Fred, Cristiano Ronaldo, Victor Lindelof and Edinson Cavani show their dejection after conceding a goal during the Premier League match at Old Trafford, Manchester. Picture date: Saturday September 25, 2021. |
As well as being a blow to Solskjaer, Cavani's absence for the Leicester clash will also disappoint the veteran striker, who is determined to muscle in on more first minutes.
The 34-year-old was handed his first start of the season in the Everton game, but will now be unable to follow that up against the Foxes in a fortnight's time.
Cavani recently discussed his lack of action with El Observador, with the former Paris Saint-Germain striker refusing to lash out at Solskjaer over his lack of minutes.
"Those are things that happen, a lot of debate is created, but football is football and you don’t have to turn it around too much, it’s not because one or the other is there," said the Uruguay hitman, who bagged 17 goals last term.
"The important thing is to be prepared for when it’s your turn, you always want to play, he wants to be there forever, but that is not going to change my way of thinking or acting.
"In football, you have to always be ready. It’s one of the keys at the top level.
"Sometimes you play more, sometimes you play less, managers make decisions, but that doesn’t stop the work to always be competitive.
"The league has just started and I have needed to be, not quite like last year, but I’m there to be a part of it."
