Edinson Cavani has apologised for a social media post that could be deemed offensive, though Manchester United insist there was no "malicious intent" on the Uruguayan's part.

Cavani was critical to United's 3-2 win over Southampton on Sunday, setting up Bruno Fernandes and scoring twice after being introduced as a half-time substitute.

In doing so, he became the first player since United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in 1999 to be involved in at least three Premier League goals in a single game after coming off the bench.

But after the match he landed himself in hot water for a post to his Instagram – which was soon deleted – that saw him use a Spanish phrase that could be deemed racially insensitive as he thanked a friend for paying tribute to him.

The Football Association (FA) was notified and began looking into the matter on Monday, with a ban not out of the question, but Cavani issued an apology a few hours later.

In a statement released by United, 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."

In a statement of their own, United added: "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.

"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."