Uruguay icon Diego Forlan hopes Edinson Cavani can play a starring role in ensuring his nation get their World Cup qualification prospects back on track.
Manchester United’s number 21 has only featured in five of Uruguay’s 14 qualifying matches, and has completed the full 90 minutes just once.
El Matador has one solitary goal in the qualifying campaign, but with four games remaining the two-time World Cup winners are in danger of missing out on the tournament for the first time since 2006.
Uruguay are currently seventh in the South America standings, one point off the qualification spots.
But with games against Paraguay and Venezuela in the coming days, the two sides who sit at the bottom of the CONMEBOL table, Diego Alonso’s side will be hoping to claim all six points to boost their qualification chances.
After recovering from muscular problems and coming off the bench to set-up Marcus Rashford’s last-gasp winner against West Ham, Forlan hopes that his compatriot can carry that goal contribution form at club level onto the international scene.
Speaking to the club’s official website, Forlan said: “We have four difficult games with the national team. Maybe he’s in good form so he can do something good for the national team as well.
“He’s a key player for us. I think he’s a key player for United and also for Uruguay as well. Maybe for Uruguay, a little bit more.
“He’s very important because he’s a goalscorer and a great player; very strong physically. He’s been struggling with injuries and didn’t have the games in a row that every player needs.
“But I think he’s a very important player for us. Hopefully, he can come because, the last couple of times, he didn’t have the opportunity to come to the national team.
“Now we need all the players for us to get qualification to try to get to Qatar this year.”
Only Luis Suarez (65) has scored more goals for Uruguay than Edinson Cavani (53), the former Manchester United striker Forlan scored 36 times for his country.
Cavani and the rest of Manchester United’s South America representatives have been pictured training ahead of their World Cup qualifiers.
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