Paris Saint-Germain coach Thomas Tuchel is convinced Edinson Cavani will be a success at Manchester United but is hoping the striker only begins to prove him right after their Champions League reunion this week.
Cavani could make his United debut in Paris on Tuesday after returning to training on Sunday following a period in isolation because of COVID-19 guidelines.
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The 33-year-old left PSG in the summer after seven seasons where he became the club's record scorer with 200 goals. Tuchel said he will not be underestimating the Uruguay international when they come face-to-face on Tuesday.
"He wrote part of our club's history, he is definitely a great player but it's not a story about PSG versus Edi or vice versa," Tuchel told a news conference on Monday. "It's hard to defend against him. He can make the difference and we'll be prepared for him.
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"When he scores he has the confidence and is one of the best No. 9s in world football. Hopefully he'll show, not tomorrow, but from Wednesday on, to convince all of you. Tomorrow it's not necessary to prove me right."
PSG, last season's beaten finalists, will be without Marco Verratti and Leandro Paredes for United's visit, the first time the two teams have met since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer guided his side to an unlikely 3-1 win in March 2019 to book a place in the Champions League quarterfinals.
Solskjaer will be able to recall Anthony Martial despite the forward's domestic suspension but Phil Jones, Sergio Romero and Marcos Rojo will all be left at home after the trio were not included in the squad submitted to UEFA.
"Our memories against Manchester, obviously we don't have very, very good memories," Tuchel added. "We had a good result at Old Trafford but in the end it wasn't a great outcome for us.
"We had a very great run last season for the Champions League and now it's a challenge not to think too much about last season and two seasons.
"We have to overcome these difficulties, show what we are able to do now and start this new Champions League with zero points."
Source: espn.co.uk