Edinson Cavani has apologized for a social media post he shared after his brilliant performance for Manchester United against Southampton.

The Uruguayan who came off the bench provided an assist before scoring a brace that handed United a 3-2 comeback win away at Southampton on Saturday.

Shortly after the game, Cavani shared an Instagram post to thank a friend who congratulated him on his performance.

He included the word “negrito” which means “small black person” in Spanish.

The former Paris St Germain striker later deleted the post after he was made aware that the word is offensive in England

Issuing an apology, Cavani said, “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.

“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.”