Edinson Cavani Teaches Marcus Rashford About Off-The-Ball Movement, Rashford Scores Using His Advice

Manchester United's acquisition of a 33-year-old Edinson Cavani on a one-year contract [with the option to extend for a further year] certainly raised a few eyebrows in the summer transfer window and understandably so.

The former Palermo, Napoli and Paris Saint-Germain forward isn't getting any younger and, while on a reported wage of £174,000 per week at Old Trafford, many questioned whether United were heading in the right direction when they added the experienced Uruguayan to their ranks.

Despite the initial doubt, however, it turned out to be a stroke of genius from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and his team.

Cavani has not only contributed six goals in 21 appearances for the Reds this season, but the veteran striker has become a valuable member of the first-team squad, providing inexperienced players with priceless knowledge and advice on the pitch.

He was spotted giving centre-back Axel Tuanzebe some valuable advice in training ahead of the club's Champions League win against PSG in October and in January, he handed out some pre-match tips to Paul Pogba before their Premier League defeat to Burnley.

It doesn't stop there, either.

Footage from Tuesday's emphatic 9-0 win against Southampton shows the influential Cavani teaching Marcus Rashford about off-the-ball movement; before the England international uses that advice to score against Ralph Hasenhüttl's side.

You can see this moment in the below YouTube clip from Manchester United's YouTube channel at 2:23 onwards.This is brilliant stuff.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is certainly aware of Cavani's influence since his arrival.

In fact, he recently compared his impact to that of former United striker Teddy Sheringham, when he first arrived on the scene at Old Trafford from Spurs in 1997.

"Teddy came in 1997 with his experience and I learnt a lot from him. I think he [Edinson Cavani] has come in and almost been a similar type of influence," Solskjaer told Sky Sports.

"We were young strikers learning off Teddy, now Cavani has Mason, Marcus and Anthony learning off him. Edinson has been a great addition."

Are you impressed, or even surprised, by Cavani's first season in the Premier League?

Let us know in the comments.

Featured Image Credit: Manchester United/Twitter

Topics: Football News, Football, Manchester United, Premier League, Marcus Rashford, Edinson Cavani

Jack Kenmare

Jack Kenmare is a writer at SPORTbible. He's interviewed some of the biggest names in sport, including Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Pele, Carles Puyol and Tim Henman. He dabbles in all things sport but football is his biggest passion. He was once hit in the head by a wayward strike from Nicky Butt and lived to tell the tale.

@jackkenmare_