Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer says Edinson Cavani is "really, deeply sorry" about his now deleted social media post and continues to back the Uruguayan amid the Football Association investigation into the matter.
The 33-year-old summer signing produced a match-winning display at Southampton on Sunday, providing an assist for Bruno Fernandes before netting a brace in a stunning 3-2 comeback win.
Cavani posted a social media message on Instagram shortly after the match, replying to a message of congratulations using the Spanish term 'negrito', which translates as 'black'.
The post was swiftly deleted after he was made aware of the connotations, with the player releasing an apologetic statement the following day saying he was "completely opposed to racism".
Solskjaer is a long-standing admirer of Cavani, who he said was "like a viking, like a warrior almost" as the then PSG striker came to Old Trafford in February 2019.
"We never give in, us vikings," the Norwegian said. "We never give up. We have got the right attitude, right mentality. That was maybe not fair to Edinson but it was a compliment.
"I always look at players' mentality and their ability to play and do well even though you don't have a perfect day, because you know he's got talent.
"I could've spoken about predatory instincts and his movement but what I always saw from him was ability to work for the team and be a team player and we've seen it here from the work-rate he puts down.
"He's at the top of the tree if you look at the running stats for strikers in the Premier League and he's 33, which says everything about his mentality."
Solskjaer says "everyone's held their hands up and is available for selection" against PSG, including David De Gea despite coming off at half-time with a knock at Southampton.
United only need a point from their remaining two matches to secure progress to the knockout phase but the Norwegian is only interested in topping Group H.
"The quicker you can qualify the better, of course," Solskjaer added. "With a win, we'll win the group, so that's our intent.
"We want to go out there in our style, attacking intent, defending well against a top team with some top individual players, of course.
"But our mindset is win this game and we've won the group."
