Edinson Cavani has responded to criticism of a social media post, following Manchester United's win over Southampton, saying he is 'completely opposed to racism.'
The Uruguay striker was United's hero on Sunday, as he came off the bench at half time to have a say in all three goals, overturning a 2-0 deficit to win the game.
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However his conduct was questioned after the game when he replied to a friend on his Instagram story with the phrase 'Gracias N*grito,' before deleting the post when it was highlighted how it could be seen as racist.
Explaining his actions in a statement on the club's website, the 33-year-old said, "The message I posted after the match on Sunday was intended as an affectionate greeting to a friend, thanking him for his congratulations after the game. The last thing I wanted to do was cause offence to anyone.
"I am completely opposed to racism and deleted the message as soon as it was explained that it can be interpreted differently. I would like to sincerely apologise for this."
The club backed their new signing, who joined on a free contract on transfer deadline day in October, having been released by PSG in June, saying, "It is clear to us that there was absolutely no malicious intent behind Edinson's message and he deleted it as soon as he was informed that it could be misconstrued.
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"Edinson has issued an apology for any unintentional offence caused. Manchester United and all of our players are fully committed to the fight against racism."
The phrase can be used as an affectionate greeting in South America, directly translating as 'little black,' as long as it is used in the correct context.
It's a similar word to the one Luis Suarez was banned for using towards then United left back Patrice Evra in 2011, although in a very different fashion.
The better comparison to make is between Bernardo Silva and Bernard Mendy last year, with the Portugal midfielder comparing the full back's looks to that of a character who portrays negative black stereotypes.
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Whilst the Frenchman was not thought to be offended by his teammate's actions, the post on Twitter was still seen as racist by the FA, who handed a one match ban to the former Monaco player.
Cavani has made just eight appearances for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side since moving to Manchester but is yet to start a league game.
He scored his first goal against Everton, rounding off the victory with their third goal in injury time, with Bruno Fernandes setting him up rather than going for his hat-trick.
On Sunday his introduction at half-time, in place of Mason Greenwood, swung the game in United's favour as first he set up Fernandes before grabbing a brace for himself.
Featured Image Credit: Instagram/PATopics: Football News, Manchester United, Southampton, Premier League, Edinson Cavani