Hopes are high at Mestalla that Valencia fans may get a look at their star summer signing Edinson Cavani. The former Manchester United striker joined the club on a free at the very end of the transfer window, but has yet to debut.
Not having a preseason, Cavani is steadily improving his fitness to get into shape for Valencia. In fact, he will not be travelling with Uruguay during the international break in order to focus on getting back to 100% with Valencia.
Speaking to Marca ahead of the weekend, Cavani revealed how his first chat with manager Gennaro Gattuso went.
“The first day I arrived at training, we met with him to chat. When I sat in front of him and began to look at him and I start to smile because I couldn’t stop myself. How I can say it, from facing him various times, to knowing his behaviour, his passion for football, his way of living football on the pitch, seeing him on TV as a manager, manager of Napoli, how he lived football being outside of it too, fighting with anyone.”
🏹 @ECavaniOfficial en acción pic.twitter.com/gcx8sSjKT9
— Valencia CF (@valenciacf) September 15, 2022
“And when it came to the moment to speak to him and sit down, then when I am face to face with him and we start speaking and I start smiling, and he also started smiling. He spoke for 10 seconds and then he says to me: what are you laughing at? And then I told the boss that was why I was laughing, for this and that. And he says to me, ‘no problem’. And then we spoke a bit about that, and then after, a bit about the whole idea of the club, the team, about him as a manager and so on.”
Famously, Gattuso once told the press that his Napoli are “sometimes maybe good, sometimes maybe sh*t.” That is just one of many iconic and sometimes comical Gattuso moments as a manager and a player.
Gattuso and Cavani occupy almost unique positions in this Valencia side. Both have reached heights of the game that none of their teammates or in Gattuso’s case charges, have come close to. The Italian will be hoping that Cavani can add a crucial touch of experience and refinement to get Valencia over the line in certain games.
