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Eric Cantona Says Man United Shouldn't Have Given Jose Mourinho The Job

Eric Cantona Says Man United Shouldn't Have Given Jose Mourinho The Job

He says he "cannot understand" it.

Josh Lawless

Josh Lawless

Eric Cantona says he "cannot understand" why Manchester United appointed Jose Mourinho as manager.

Mourinho has come under plenty of criticism for his negative tactics, particularly in the big games, this season - with his style of football very different to what Pep Guardiola and his table-topping Manchester City side are churning out across the city.

And though Cantona respects Mourinho for what he has achieved in the game, saying he "loves" him as a manager, he doesn't feel he's the right fit at United, the club he starred for after his game-changing transfer from Leeds 25 years ago.

"He is playing in this defensive way, which is not the identity of Manchester United," he said on the Today programme on BBC Four.

"Both Guardiola and Mourinho are great, but I prefer attacking football, when it's more creative. It's the way I tried to play all my career."

Image: PA

Premier League legend Cantona, who has been over the UK to promote his new sketch book, later did an interview with BBC Radio 5 live and continued his discussion about Mourinho.

"I cannot understand why United would take a manager who plays in a defensive way. I love Mourinho, but I prefer to watch Barcelona play.

"I love Mourinho as manager, and I said it before he arrived in Manchester. He's very clever and he takes all the pressure on himself.

"He is very psychological. He has a lot of charisma. He won a lot of things and he will win a lot of things."

"I prefer the way Guardiola plays, and I would prefer him as manager of Manchester United, it's more logical. I don't watch Man City because it's Man City but I would love to watch the team managed by Guardiola."

Image: PA

Cantona also did a brilliant interview with United YouTube channel Full Time Devils and was quizzed on who he would like to see as United's No.7.


He picked out Javier Pastore of PSG, who he has quite the admiration for.

"I love Pastore who plays for Paris [Saint-Germain] but he doesn't play.

"They have two great players - Pastore and [Hatem] Ben Arfa - and none of them play.

"Pastore is very special he surprises you every time he touches the ball, he will surprise you and give the ball to someone that no one saw.

"He surprises all the fans. I think he's a great player. He plays for Argentina, which is a big country, but he doesn't play for Paris which is a small club."


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Topics: Jose Mourinho, Football, Manchester United, Eric Cantona