Eric Cantona confuses fans by announcing he’s the new Man United boss

Eric Cantona has surprised fans by “announcing” himself as the new manager of Manchester United.

All the talk over the last few days has been over the identity of United‘s new manager, whether that be on a permanent or interim basis.

That person looks set to be German coach Ralf Rangnick. The club have reportedly agreed to appoint the former RB Leipzig manager but need to reach an agreement to release him from his contract at current club Lokomotiv Moscow.

Read: Manchester United reportedly agree deal to appoint Ralf Rangnick as interim boss

Plenty of United fans have been reflecting on previous incumbent Ole Gunnar Solskjaer‘s time at the club. The Norwegian was sacked on Sunday after almost three years in charge.

Solskjaer spent 11 years with the Red Devils as a player between 1996 and his retirement in 2007. He famously scored the winning goal in the 1999 Champions League final against Bayern Munich.

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Michael Carrick, albeit temporarily, has continued the trend of former United players taking charge of the club. Another former United player, of course, is Cantona himself.

Read: Michael Carrick explains why he didn’t leave Man United after Solskjaer sacking

And the Frenchman – who hasn’t managed a club since retirement – ‘put an end’ to all speculation about the identity of the new appointment with a brilliant post on Instagram. He announced that he would be the man to replace Solskjaer in the Old Trafford hotseat.

What did Cantona say?

Posting to his official Instagram account, Cantona began: “Hello my friends.”

“I would like to tell you, in exclusivity, that I am the new manager of Manchester United,” he continued.

“I will tell you later the names of my great staff. See you soon.”

What did Cantona achieve at United?

Eric Cantona
Image Credit: Getty

Cantona won’t be the man to take over from Solskjaer, but he has already created a legacy at the club that perhaps nobody since has been able to emulate.

United signed the Frenchman from Leeds in 1992. The Elland Road outfit were initially keen on signing United legend Denis Irwin, but the approach was rebuffed. The Red Devils chairman at the time, Martin Edwards, then enquired about signing Cantona.

United famously overstated the actual fee they had paid for Cantona at the request of Leeds chairman Bill Fotherby.

He eventually scored 64 goals in 143 appearances for the club, and helped them win four Premier League titles. But the numbers – and the trophies – didn’t tell the whole story. Cantona played an important role in United’s transformation to becoming a gigantic force in English football.

He surprisingly retired from football at the age of just 30 in 1997, bringing to an end a glittering career. There’s only one Eric Cantona.

Featured Image Credit: Getty