Eric Cantona once again proved his allegiance to Marseille by taking aim at Paris Saint-Germain during a recent interview, brandishing the Ligue Un league leaders as a 'small club'. And now, PSG have responded to the Manchester United legend.
Cantona, who was born in Marseille and spent two seasons with l'OM, first in 1988-89 and then again in 1990-91, was recently interviewed by Manchester United fan channel Full Time Devils when the subject of the number seven shirt came up.
The Frenchman is of course one of the most famous recipients of United's number seven jersey, alongside the likes of George Best, Bryan Robson, David Beckham and, erm, Michael Owen.
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Cantona inspired United to four Premier League titles in five years, as well as two FA Cups, scoring in both finals. Image: PA
When asked who he would like to see in the currently vacant number, Cantona opted for PSG's Javier Pastore, a player he has lauded in previous interviews, but who doesn't feature much in Unai Emery's starting XI. It was a contentious point for Cantona, who took a swipe at the club from the French capital while answering the question.
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"I love Pastore, he plays for Paris but he doesn't play in the team. They have two great players - Pastore and [Hatem] Ben Arfa and neither of them play. Pastore is very special, Pastore surprises you every time, he gives the ball to someone no-one has seen before.
"And he surprises all of the fans, I think he's a great player. He plays for Argentina, which is a great player, but he doesn't play for Paris, which is a small club!"
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This isn't the first time Cantona has taken aim at PSG, with their world record deal for Neymar drawing the former United's captain ire during another interview, recently in which he questioned the Brazilian's decision to swap La Liga for Ligue Un.
"When you are 25-years-old and play for Brazil and Barcelona you wonder a little why he has come to France, to play against Guingamp or Amiens.
"The Champions League? It's a maximum of 10 matches in the season. I do not understand why he came to play in France. It's not my vision of passion and football.
"I never really watched the L1. I'm going to watch what? Play PSG against Guingamp? It does not interest me."
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In light of Cantona's 'small club' jibe, PSG have responded via Twitter, using one of the Frenchman's most famous quotes.
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The Ligue Un leaders tweeted, "« When the seagulls follow the trawler, it is because they think :fish: will be thrown into the sea" which is of course a reference to the quote Cantona dropped on a room of perplexed journalists at a 1995 press conference in which he addressed the media after successfully winning an appeal against a two week prison sentence for attacking a fan during a Premier League game against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.
Was Cantona right to dismiss PSG as a small club?
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Featured Image Credit: PATopics: Football News, Football, Manchester United, PSG, Eric Cantona
