Eric Cantona announces himself as new Man Utd manager

Eric Cantona has bizarrely announced himself as the new Manchester United manager in a video he posted on Instagram.

The club is set to put German coach Ralf Rangnick in temporary charge following the dismissal of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at the weekend, with a permanent appointment expected at the end of the season.

Mauricio Pochettino and Brendan Rodgers are the two ideal options as a permanent successor to Solskjaer. Both would be open to taking the job now, but it seems United have decided to delay making any major moves.

However, in a short video message that can only be a cheeky wind up, United legend Cantona has declared himself the new boss.

“Hello, my friends,” the Frenchman said. “I would like to tell you, exclusively, that I am the new manager of Manchester United. I will tell you later the names of my great staff. See you soon.”

Cantona was the catalyst of United’s dominance of English football in the 1990s following his £1.2m transfer from Leeds midway through the inaugural Premier League campaign.

Not only was Cantona himself one of the best players in the world at that time – finishing third in the 1993 Ballon d’Or and securing further nominations in 1994 and 1996 – he was hailed as a mentor for the club’s home-grown talent that secured a future of success long after he had gone.

Cantona, now 55, has barely worked in football since his shock retirement from playing in 1997, shortly before turning 31. He was longstanding coach of France’s national beach soccer team and briefly served as New York Cosmos ‘director of soccer’, which was primarily an ambassadorial role.

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