Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said Manchester United will likely trigger the one year extension option on Edinson Cavani's contract and didn't rule out the striker staying on beyond the end of his current deal.
Cavani signed a one-year deal with the option for a further 12 months on the final day of the summer transfer window, but Solskjaer thinks the 33-year-old has longer left in him.
“At the moment it looks like he has a few years left in him so I wouldn’t say anything else,” Solskjaer said. “He has made a great impact when he has come here. Let’s focus on improving everyone but he has a few years left in him.”
The arrival of the former Paris Saint-Germain striker was questioned by some but he has had a positive impact and was influential off the bench as United drew with Leicester at the King Power on Boxing Day.
Despite his performances, the Uruguayan has only started three games across all competitions, but Solskjaer is adamant his time as a regular starter will come.
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“He is definitely a starter. You don’t classify a player of that quality as anything else. We have plenty of starters, more than 11. That is the thing when you are at Man United,” Solskjaer explained.
“You should believe and trust in yourself. I trust him. We have good competition for places. He will probably start more games than he will not start.
“When you think of the history of his career and the experience he has had, his personality from the chat I had with him and when I watched him before, it wasn’t in doubt that he could handle the No 7 shirt.
"He is so meticulous and professional, his habits and everything about him, shows why he has had the career he has. Even at the age he is now he is one of the fittest players we have got.”
With fixtures coming thick and fast Cavani could get his next start sooner rather than later as Solskjaer looks to tweak his starting XI to keep his side fresh over the coming weeks.
“It is good for the players to know we trust them to play in big games,” Solskjaer said about using 20 players over the last two games.
“They are here for a reason. They are here to contribute and over this period, they will all have to do that this season because it is going to be relentless. I hope that will stand us in good stead, yes.”
