Lee Sharpe has described the scene in the dressing room after Eric Cantona’s kung-fu kick at Selhurst Park in 1995.
After receiving a red card in the match against Crystal Palace, Cantona launched himself towards a supporter in the stands who had been verbally abusing him, and was suspended by the FA for eight months for his act. The Frenchman was Manchester United’s talisman, and their quest for a third consecutive Premier League title was derailed due to his absence.
Cantona returned in October of that year and led the club to a league and FA Cup double and won the player of the year award in the process.
Sharpe played alongside Cantona for four years at Old Trafford, and was on the pitch the night he attacked the Palace fan. The former England winger often got on the wrong side of Ferguson, who famously ended a party at Sharpe’s house when he opened the door to find Ryan Giggs holding a bottle of beer. Sharpe has said he was “scared to death” of the United manager and his “hairdryer treatment.”
Ferguson was furious following the game at Selhurst Park in January 1995, and it’s probably best to let Sharpe tell the rest of the story, which features a lot of swearing…
https://twitter.com/Duncanreddevil/status/927986109560315904
That’s definitely not the first time Sharpe has told that story.
Cantona famously received special treatment from Ferguson, who recognised that the forward didn’t respond well to a tough approach from management. He played for six clubs in his native France, and fell out with Howard Wilkinson at Leeds United. Ferguson was prepared to be more lenient with Cantona, even if that meant not giving him the hairdryer treatment for kicking a fan.
