Cavani: I'm proud to wear the United shirt

Manchester United fans were disappointed to read reports today which claimed Edinson Cavani’s dad said the player wasn’t happy in Manchester and wanted to return to South America. It came as a surprise, given how happy he looks when he’s on the pitch and reports about how well he’s settled in to life at the club.

But the British press reported on an interview with Luis Cavani and TyC Sports where he revealed the striker had been in conversation with Boca Juniors second vice-president Juan Riquelme.

My son does not feel comfortable in England and wants to be close to the family again. Edinson is going to end up playing in South America. I want Edinson to play in a team that fights for something important. Edinson had many conversations with Riquelme and he would like to play for Boca. He was always seduced by the idea of playing in Boca. If he returns to South America he is leaning towards Boca. By the middle of the year he will return to South America. My son’s idea is not to continue there, he wants to return. There are things which sometimes annoy us as humans, as people, the whole ‘negrito’ ban issue annoyed him. That has been playing on him, sometimes players can’t find form either, these things can weigh heavy on you. Sometimes mentally you can get dragged down.”

However, it appears as though his interview has been misquoted slightly, with those who saw the interview having a different interpretation of what Cavani’s dad said. Luis Cavani was unhappy with the FA charge against his son, where he was found guilty of using insulting language which included reference to race, after using the term “negrito” on Instagram when thanking his friend for praising him after scoring a goal. However, Cavani’s dad didn’t claim he would leave this season, rather he would be speaking to the club in June to see whether they wanted to renew his contract or not. The end goal, it appears, is to return closer to home and player for Boca Juniors in Argentina, but that isn’t the immediate desire of the player.

With the press having a field day, Cavani quickly took to social media to post a picture of himself in a United jersey with the caption: “Proud to wear this shirt”.