Hero to Zero: United's Cavani faces FA wrath

The last 24 hours have brought in a mixed bag of emotions for Edinson Cavani.

On Sunday night, the Uruguayan striker starred in Manchester United’s 3-2 win over Southampton. Cavani came off the bench at half time to net two goals for United.

He brought happiness and smiles to the faces of fans and that of his own. However, his joy is short lived.

Cavani is now embroiled in a controversy over a questionable social media post.

The FA is expected to investigate the now deleted post by the striker, after he shared an Instagram story from a fan, using a racially derogatory term. Cavani could face three-game ban for the post that has racial undertones.

"The message I posted after the match on Sunday was intended as an affectionate greeting to a friend, thanking him for his congratulations after the game," Cavani said in a statement on the club's website.

"The last thing I wanted to do was cause offence to anyone. I am completely opposed to racism and deleted the message as soon as it was explained that it can be interpreted differently. I would like to sincerely apologise for this."

"It is clear to us that there was absolutely no malicious intent behind Edinson's message and he deleted it as soon as he was informed that it could be misconstrued," United said.

"Edinson has issued an apology for any unintentional offence caused. Manchester United and all of our players are fully committed to the fight against racism."

Last year, Manchester City’s Bernardo Silva was banned for one match after posting and then deleting a tweet comparing his teammate Benjamin Mendy to the cartoon figure on a brand of Spanish chocolate.

In 2011, Cavani's compatriot Luis Suarez had received an eight-match ban and was fined £40,000 for using the word ‘negro’ after clashing with United defender Patrice Evra.

According to new FA rules, if a comment is deemed to include a reference to a person’s ethnic origin, colour, race or nationality, then that will be regarded as a potential aggravating factor in any punishment. The player who breaches the rules on social media will face minimum three-game suspension.

Cavani has scored three league goals for the club since joining as a free agent in the summer transfer window.