Valencia head coach Gennaro Gattuso has admitted that former Manchester United striker Edinson Cavani did not want to start his side's 3-0 win over Celta Vigo on Saturday evening because of fitness issues.
After joining the La Liga outfit at the end of August following his exit from Old Trafford, the Uruguay international was awarded his debut for the visit of Eduardo Coudet's side. He had been working on his fitness levels in the build-up to the fixture and was not keen on starting.
Gattuso, formerly in charge of AC Milan and Napoli, admitted in his post-match press conference that the former United striker only wanted to play for around half an hour amid concerns about his fitness levels. However, the Italian decided to throw the 35-year-old into the starting line-up and award him his full debut, which resulted in him managing 71 minutes.
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"He wanted to play 30 or 35 minutes, but there are players who have conditions to be there from the beginning," Gattuso told Marca. "It has been three months without training with a team and it was important the previous work and also to have competition.
"When a 35-year-old player thinks that football is a priority for him, he always helps the teammate, he makes a career more than the rest to train. He has to improve his physical condition as usual, I am happy that he is going to stay with us here [during the international break].
"He has worked 10 days with us very well and I think to get to his best condition he has to play, play and play. He wasn't entirely convinced to start because of the physical risk, but I'm very happy."
Fitness issues were a frequent problem for much of Cavani's United career. He made just 15 Premier League appearances last season and United, as revealed by the Manchester Evening News in March last year, were often frustrated by the striker's lack of availability.
In just under two seasons at United, the striker made 59 appearances, scoring 19 goals. He will be hoping to rediscover his best form at Valencia over the next few weeks, in a bid to keep his World Cup hopes alive.
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