Varun Pai
Manchester United duo Edinson Cavani and Raphael Varane could make return from injury against Newcastle United
According to The Metro, Edinson Cavani and Raphael Varane could make their first appearance for Manchester United on Monday against Newcastle United after joining up with the squad following 2 injury-riddled months.
The Red Devils are set to play their first game in over 2 weeks on Monday night. Ralf Rangnick and co will be travelling to St. James’ Park to face the Toon Army and maintain the German manager’s 100% win record in the league. And two players that could make their first appearance under him are Cavani and Varane.
The Uruguayan has been out with an injury since the start of November and would be raring to go once again. The 34-year-old was pictured at the Manchester Airport on Sunday evening as the entire team looked set to make the trip to North East. Varane, too, was caught on camera driving into the airport car parking lot.
The Frenchman has been out with a thigh issue since the 2-2 draw against Atalanta in November. The defender was part of the 4-1 victory against the Magpies in September. Rangnick confirmed in his pre-match press conference that Paul Pogba is likely to be the only absentee for the weekday clash.
Need Varane and Cavani back
Rangnick has already got the team playing attractive football, and there has been good progress on the part of several players. However, one thing the gaffer would be wary of is that the men in red have failed to score more than once in all three games.
In fact, we were bailed out by a Cristiano Ronaldo penalty against Norwich City. Thus, we need somebody to help out the Portuguese star in the goal-scoring department. Cavani could certainly do so, given his experience, pedigree, and potency in finding the back of the net.
Similarly, Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof do not appear to be the ideal centre-back partnership at Old Trafford. Both defenders seem to have a mistake in them, courtesy of which Varane was signed in the summer. The 28-year-old could be slotted in if he is declared completely fit for the Monday night tie.
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This is just the beginning of the Rangnick era, and there is more to come. We need to maintain a certain level of consistency, irrespective of the quality of opposition. Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal won their respective games on Boxing Day, and we too shall need to do the same to keep up the pace in the Top 4 race.
Cavani and Varane would go a long way in strengthening our squad. The former PSG striker, in particular, could be a menacing sub to bring on in games, as he was for the majority of last season.
