Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has expressed his full support for Edinson Cavani and insists there was no "malicious intent" in his social media post at the weekend.
The Manchester United striker used the Spanish term 'negrito', which translates to 'black' in response to a congratulatory Instagram message after his double against Southampton secured a 3-2 win for United in the Premier League on Sunday.
Team manager Solskjaer reiterated the club's initial response, that the term is an affectionate one with different connotations in Cavani's native Uruguay and around South America.
"We've communicated with Edinson. He's deeply sorry for the mistake he's made," Solskjaer said.
"There was no malicious intent at all, it was just an affectionate greeting to a friend of his.
"But we explained [it] to him. He's been asked by the FA to explain, so of course, he will cooperate with them and we'll support him.
"It's one of those unfortunate situations. He's just come into the country. In Uruguay it's been used in a different way."
Manchester United's Edinson Cavani celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during an English Premier League soccer match between Southampton and Manchester United at the St. Mary's stadium in Southampton, England, Sunday, Nov. 29, 2020. (Mike Hewitt, Pool via AP)The English FA are expected to launch an investigation, having issued guidelines at the start of this season to clamp down on racist and discriminatory language and a proposed minimum three-match ban for any breaches on social media.
While expressing support for his player, Solskjaer also stated the importance of the FA's attempts to eradicate racism and discrimination in the game.
"We'll support him but we support the FA. It's important that the FA have asked him to explain and it's out there for everyone to see because we want to be in the fight against discrimination with everyone.
"Maybe all players coming from different cultures should be educated and I'm sure Edinson has learned the hard way."
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