Edinson Cavani has revealed that he would have looked to have departed Manchester United had he known that Cristiano Ronaldo would be arriving at Old Trafford.
In August, United made the decision to sign their former forward when it became clear that he could be moving to neighbours Manchester City, a judgment call which has ultimately led to mixed results.
Cavani had previously agreed to remain at United in the hope of earning regular first-team football down the middle of the attack, something which he knew became highly unlikely once Ronaldo started a second spell in the Premier League.
Speaking to ESPN's Bola da Vez, the Uruguyan has acknowledged that he would have preferred to have signed for a different club rather than spend 2021-22 in England.
The 35-year-old said: "Speaking the truth, because I always tell the truth, as it should be. The moment it happened, I thought it was good that Manchester signed Cristiano. Knowing a little about the world of football today, the first thing I did was call my brother and I said: 'Fernando, if this had happened a week ago, I would have asked you to sign another club.
"But not because I didn't want to play with Cristiano Ronaldo. No. Because I had the opportunity to meet him, and he's a great professional, with his goals, and that's perfect for sportsmen. But as I know him, after years in football, how things are these days, hence the fact of talking to my brother.
"It was more about understanding the situation. Not because I couldn't play in my place at Manchester, but because there are a lot of things in football today that are different from how they were with other coaches, how it was before, years ago. How suddenly happened, at no time did I have any sensation. I thought: let's play, do the best we can."
Cavani, who has been limited to just seven starts this season, is being tipped to sign for Boca Juniors at the end of his contract in June.
Darren Plant
