Cavani's Debut Against Former Club PSG Is Delayed

JAKARTA - Asa Edinson Cavani made his United debut against his former club Paris Saint-Germain in a Champions League match after the Uruguay striker was left out of the squad who visited Paris last Monday.

United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer confirmed Cavani and captains Harry Maguire, Mason Greenwood, Eric Bailly and Jesse Lingard would not travel to the French capital for their opening group stage match on Wednesday morning.

Solskjaer confirmed Cavani still needs to train his fitness level, while Maguire suffered a minor injury.

"We hope these players will not be out for too long," Solskjaer told a press conference as quoted by Antara. "Edinson needs a few more days to train before we can possibly think about the weekend (against Chelsea)."

"Hopefully Harry, Eric and Mason as well, but not sure about that."

Cavani, who joined United on a free transfer after his contract at PSG expired last season, had to carry out independent isolation for 14 days upon arrival in England.

The 33-year-old completed his contract in Paris as the French club's most prolific goalscorer with 200 goals but has not played since March before the league season was halted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Greenwood will not feature at the Parc des Princes, which is the stadium where he made his United debut in 2019. But Solskjaer stressed that the England international could recover from a minor injury during United's Premier League match against Chelsea on Saturday.

In Maguire's absence, United playmaker Bruno Fernandes will captain the team for the first time. He sat with the manager at the press conference.

"I didn't expect this," Fernandes said. "Being the captain of Man United is an important achievement. But everyone has to be a leader. Tomorrow is not about me, it's about the team."

After moving to United from Sporting Lisbon in January, Fernandes helped the club finish third in the Premier League last season.

The Portuguese midfielder has scored three goals this season, including a crucial goal in the 4-1 win against Newcastle United last Saturday.

"I played well in the last few months, I can play even better," he said. "I know my numbers are good but I'm sure I will play even better."