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‘Edinson Cavani didn’t actually warm up, did he?’ Roy Keane hits out at forward after Manchester United defeat

New signing came on in the second half as the hosts searched for an equaliser that never came

Alex Pattle
Monday 02 November 2020 15:51 GMT
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(POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane has criticised Edinson Cavani for failing to warm up before his introduction as a second-half substitute in Sunday’s 1-0 defeat by Arsenal.

Cavani replaced Mason Greenwood in the 75th minute as United tried to find an equaliser at Old Trafford, having fallen behind to a Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang penalty six minutes earlier.

Uruguay forward Cavani, who is yet to score since joining United from Paris Saint-Germain this summer, failed to impact the game as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team suffered a third home defeat in the league this term.

And after the game, Keane hit out at the 33-year-old for seemingly not warming up before he took to the pitch.

“I’m intrigued when I look at warm-ups – Cavani never threw a leg, he actually didn’t do a warm-up, did he?” Keane said on Sky Sports.

“Then he comes on as a sub and is being asked to get them back in the game. Ole’s talking about having to get him up to speed. Well, sometimes it’s up to the player to do something. Ole will pay the ultimate price, obviously.

“Ole will lose his job, walk out of this group of players, that’s what’s going to happen. I’ve been saying it for the last month or two, but you still think: ‘You never know in this game, things might change.’

“People keep saying there’s no support, the stadiums are empty… this is still a great setting if you’re a professional footballer, to play at Old Trafford.”

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