Say the words ‘King Eric’ and one phrase will come to most people’s minds
They will think of Eric Cantona, the man who helped transform Manchester United from a title challenger to the most dominant team in Premier League history.
Cantona joined United from bitter rivals Leeds United, the season after helping the Whites to their last league title. After that First Division success, Cantona had fallen out with manager Howard Wilkinson and asked for a move away.
He got his move, and became a legend, as part of an Alex Ferguson team featuring the likes of Peter Schmeichel, Denis Irwin, Roy Keane and Mark Hughes.
But it all may have been so different, had Leeds not enquired about the availability of Irwin, when looking for a left-back. That was the moment Alex Ferguson saw his opportunity, and changed United’s history forever.
This is how Leeds United made one of the worst transfer mistakes in history to gift Eric Cantona to Manchester United. pic.twitter.com/zRJfV24ASN
— FootballJOE (@FootballJOE) July 22, 2020
