The legendary Red Devils coach: The road to success

Chapter 236 Extraordinary Appearance

A Frenchman came to the Red Devils, a club full of English traditions. Everyone thought it would be difficult for him to gain a foothold, but Cantona adapted here with great ease. His appearance was even full of a sense of ceremony, which made all the Red Devils players feel the pressure and also made the Red Devils fans full of expectations.

--Inscription

While the media was in an uproar over Cantona joining Manchester United, the Red Devils fans were jubilant. Interestingly, the atmosphere in the Red Devils locker room was strange and everyone remained silent.

The Red Devils players were shocked by the news, and their true reaction was shock. The players didn't know why Ferguson would sign such a guy, a locker room bomb, a troublemaker.

They know Cantona too well, "bad boy!", "unruly bastard", "weird Frenchman!", "a guy who likes to fight", "arrogant like a king", "it is said that he writes poetry while fighting!", "Cantona doesn't obey anyone, he doesn't even seem to obey himself..."

Even Bruce and Pallister were stunned. They had indeed discussed Cantona's prowess, but that didn't mean they were happy to be on the same team with him. The English football world was not big, and the players would exchange information. The Red Devils players knew how much Cantona hated him at Leeds United, but they didn't expect him to come to Old Trafford now!

Ferguson asked the entire team to show proper etiquette, so the entire Red Devils team remained silent. Not only did they not release any news to the outside world, the team also remained silent about Cantona.

Gary Pallister later recalled that he received a call from a reporter at home, "That damn reporter! He told me that the team had signed a new striker. But he asked me to play a guessing game and guess who the striker was. I almost guessed all the strikers I could think of, and when he told me it was Cantona, I was so shocked that my jaw dropped to the ground..."

Lee Sharpe was attending a signing event held by his boot sponsor at the time, and his reaction was this: "I responded nonchalantly, 'Red Devils want to buy someone? Of course! Already confirmed? OK; new striker? Good, we need new firepower. Cantona? Impossible! This is completely unreliable, impossible!' Then I turned on the radio and heard the news, and a huge lightning bolt hit me. I never dreamed that I would be teammates with him. He is a Frenchman and a Leeds United player. How could he join the Red Devils?! This guy is a lunatic, and now even Ferguson is crazy!"

Bryan Robson was the first player to know about it. He said: "Ferguson and Edwards told me after they had agreed. Ferguson also wanted me to meet Cantona first, but I politely declined. I didn't dare tell my teammates in advance, and I didn't discuss this big change with them until the official announcement. We heard early on that Eric had a weird personality, couldn't stay anywhere for long, and always caused a lot of trouble. I felt that he and I were completely different people, completely different people. Of course I couldn't like him. When he came, he was really super arrogant and looked like he deserved a beating. To be honest, he was a million miles away from the interesting guy we met later."

Mark Hughes said, "I don't think the boss has found a partner for me. I'm a little angry. We have completely different styles and can't cooperate at all. I can't happily say I welcome him. The Red Devils are already unfortunate enough."

Cantona's huge influence is comparable to "a child crying at night". When the Red Devils' Class 92 gathered together to chat, they felt both fear and novelty. Lee Sharp threatened everyone, saying, "Eric has a weird temper and likes to beat people up. He enjoys beating people up in Marseille, Auxerre and Leeds United. He especially likes to bully young people, so everyone should be careful."

Giggs said: "What I want to know most is how many girls like Cantona. I heard that his fans line up from Paris to Lyon."

Beckham said, "Cantona is a technical master. His footwork and technique were praised by Platini. I must learn some skills from him."

Gary Neville, Savage, Butt, Scholes and others were a little afraid and a little expectant, and they even fantasized about when this freak Cantona would have a fight with Ferguson, or play a game with Ins, the most powerful player in the team, or directly wrestle with Schmeichel.

Red Devils legend Best said: "Cantona? I like this guy. He is passionate, technically superb, a superstar. Isn't it natural that such a person has a special personality?"

Another legend, Charlton, remained cautious. "I haven't watched many of Cantona's games, so it's not convenient for me to comment. I hope Ferguson's decision is correct. The Red Devils need special passion and more chemistry this season."

The emotions of the Red Devils fans are so complicated that they are beyond description. Many fans think that the team is in trouble now, and it is better to have one more striker than none; some fans think that Cantona is super powerful and will definitely create miracles; at the same time, some fans think that Cantona is too terrible and this guy may ruin the team. In addition to laughing at Leeds United for being blind and giving the core to the Red Devils, more die-hard fans are worried that this guy will only destroy and not build, and that he is incompatible with the Red Devils tradition. After all, Cantona has too many weird tempers and is also a rebellious guy.

Some die-hard fans sent letters to the club in despair, believing that Ferguson was asking for trouble and seeking his own death. Some Red Devils fans sneered at Cantona and cursed directly: "'Oh oh oh, Cantona'? We will not sing his songs at Old Trafford, he is a lunatic and a shit stick!"

Of course, facts soon proved to be a slap in the face. After watching Cantona's first season in red, the fans could only kneel down and worship him.

Most people in the media were not optimistic about this transfer, and some critics even believed that this was the last mistake Ferguson could make as the Red Devils coach. "Ferguson has gone completely crazy. He is buying blindly like a headless fly. This is doomed to fail."

One media writer said: "Ferguson has a bad temper and Cantona is unruly. Some players are even afraid that they will fight directly on the training ground after the first day they meet. Some sources indicate that most Red Devils players are ready to isolate Cantona because they cannot find a sense of security."

Former England captain Emlyn Hughes mercilessly criticized Cantona as a "flashy foreigner" in his column in the Daily Mirror, and mocked Ferguson for his desperate efforts, saying that "this hasty acquisition will be the last straw for Ferguson's dismissal."

Former Leeds captain Jonny Giles gloated, "Of course I support the club selling Cantona. Everyone knows he is a problem. Ferguson should have signed Hurst or Dean Saunders, but unfortunately he took over without hesitation."

Later, it was proved that the only people who cried for this deal were Leeds fans. They lost the real hero of Elland Road, who could have laid the foundation for the legend of the White Rose Dynasty. Because of Cantona's brilliant achievements in the Red Devils, Leeds United fans had to vent their anger on the head coach and club officials. Since Cantona's departure, Leeds United has never won the Premier League championship again.

Cantona ignored all the noise outside and was determined to restart his career with the Red Devils. Cantona said at the meeting, "I am Eric Cantona, the league champion. I am here to help you win more victories. This is my idea. You don't need to have other opinions, start listening to me now."

"If there was ever a player anywhere in the world who was born to be a Red Devils player, it was Cantona," Ferguson was deeply impressed by Cantona's first appearance for the team. "He walked into Old Trafford with his chest puffed out, his head held high, and looked around, as if loudly questioning this glorious club: 'I am Cantona, are you good enough? With you, are you worthy of me?!'"

Cantona asked a soul-searching question and the Red Devils players fell silent.

The atmosphere in the locker room was awkward, and the team's traditional games were no longer popular. New players would be teased by old players when they joined, but no one wanted to do that to Cantona. Ince originally wanted to scare Cantona with the gun, but he eventually gave up this weird idea and just mocked Cantona at the meeting, "You won that championship by playing soy sauce, right? What's there to brag about?"

In all the years since Ferguson took over as Manchester United manager, only Cantona was not pranked on his first appearance in the dressing room. No one else was spared.

Beckham and Gary were deeply impressed. Cantona was like a commander in chief inspecting his troops. Everyone was his subordinate. Beckham said: "Eric is tall and has sharp eyes. He seems to be able to see into your heart. He is always the focus of the crowd. No matter what he wears, he stands out from the crowd. He holds his head high and looks strong and aggressive. He looks around as if he is inspecting the entire stadium, as if he owns the whole place."

Gary said: "Eric seems to be the boss of everyone. I suddenly have this illusion. The first day he came here was like declaring his status. This is Old Trafford, his stage, his territory. We, like all the fans in the stadium, are soldiers under his command."

Roy Keane later joined the Red Devils, and Cantona gave a speech in front of the whole team, and he was as confident as a gangster boss in front of Keane. Keane said: "Cantona is always the focus of the crowd, his collar is erect, his spine is straight, and he inspects the entire stadium majestically, as if this place belongs to him. This is his territory, and we are all his soldiers."

Cantona's arrival was a major surprise that disrupted the season plan, and the cause was of course Dublin's injury. Dublin, a talented striker, later said in an interview: "My experience with the Red Devils is legendary. I worked very hard, but I only scored one goal that season. I was seriously injured in the first home game and my left leg was broken by the opponent. The foul guy used a very dangerous tackle and messed up my performance. My entire left foot was completely out of control, and the pain was so severe that I almost fainted and had to be carried away on a stretcher."

Dablin recalled: "It was me who made Cantona successful. It was because of my serious injury that the subsequent story came about. The Red Devils continued to win various honors because I could not play. Cantona was bought because I was injured. Eric is taller than me, about 6 feet 3 inches or 4 inches tall, and he is also very strong. He has a strong aura and a fairy-like sense of the ball. He can dribble, grab points, head, tackle, and do both left and right kills. This guy has a kind of magic, and I think he is what the Red Devils need."

Many years later, Ferguson revealed, "I know the rest of the story. The players may be surprised. Cantona is very picky about the team, but he is like a fish in water here in my Red Devils. I talk to him about everything, and the players also changed from rejecting him to rallying around him. How I felt? It was like finding a treasure! Cantona is the kind of star who can change the whole team. He deserves all the pride and he has reason to be so special!"

Cantona's appearance ended like this, and Ferguson was soon shocked. He found that Cantona was extremely self-disciplined and very strict in honing his skills. Since joining, Cantona has completed the team's training program with high standards, and then practiced alone, every day, rain or shine.