Adrian Clarke is assessing the impact that deadline-day signings can have at their clubs.
Edinson Cavani
Cavani is a penalty-box predator who will provide Manchester United with qualities that they have lacked.
The 33-year-old may be in the latter stages of his career, but he remains an expert at finding space.
His clever movement and reading of the game will ensure he has plenty of chances to score for his new club.
The Uruguayan enjoys playing on the shoulder of defenders and feeding off crosses driven along the six-yard box.
He is the most natural centre-forward available to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Proven scorer
Paris Saint-Germain’s dominance of Ligue 1 makes it difficult to accurately gauge Cavani’s performance levels.
His goal count is undeniably outstanding, but it has been on a downward curve since he netted a remarkable 35 goals in 2016/17.
That tally has been followed by hauls of 28, 18 and then just four last season.
However, he was out of favour with PSG in 2019/20 and yet still maintained a respectable strike-rate, netting a league goal every 150.5 minutes.
Mason Greenwood and Bruno Fernandes were the only Man Utd players to score at a faster rate in the Premier League, averaging a goal every 131.2 and 149 minutes respectively.
Cavani's minutes-per-goal scored
| Mins/goal | Ligue 1 | Champions League |
|---|---|---|
| 2015/16 | 121.3 | 321.0 |
| 2016/17 | 85.0 | 90.0 |
| 2017/18 | 92.5 | 97.1 |
| 2018/19 | 93.1 | 207.5 |
| 2019/20 | 150.5 | 130.0 |
Cavani will hope United's creativity and end-product improves when he is fit and available.
While the focus has been on the Red Devils' defensive frailties after their 6-1 loss to Tottenham Hotspur, only West Bromwich Albion have created fewer chances in open play, with 15 compared to United's 16.
Cavani is accustomed to playing for successful clubs who give him plenty of opportunities to score.
He averaged 3.4 shots per 90 minutes during his final three seasons in the French capital.
However, there is data suggesting he may not be as clinical as he was in his prime.
Cavani's xG (Expected Goals) tally was 7.6, but he finished the campaign with just four strikes.
By contrast, Greenwood and Anthony Martial exceeded expectations based on the quality of the chances they received, scoring a combined 12 extra goals according to the xG metric.
Goals compared to Expected Goals
| 2019/20 | Goals to xG |
|---|---|
| Greenwood | +6.4 |
| Martial | +6.1 |
| Rashford | -0.3 |
| Cavani | -3.6 |
Nonetheless, Cavani will unquestionably bring experience and striking acumen to the Red Devils' attack.
It will be fascinating to see just how well he adapts to life at Old Trafford and whether he can roll back the years in front of goal.
