Former Manchester United star Eric Cantona has explained why his old club has to be “clever” like Liverpool in the transfer market.
The January transfer window is open and, as a result, the Reds are being heavily linked with the signing of potential new players. Cody Gakpo is already through the door after a deal worth more an initial £37m was agreed with PSV Eindhoven.
The club’s current highest fee is the £75m for Virgil van Dijk in January 2018, but that could be surpassed by the fee for Darwin Nunez should all add-ons be met.
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Cantona has used the examples of Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane as to how Man United should conduct their transfer business. Salah cost Liverpool £34.3m plus add-ons, while the Reds paid Southampton around £30m for Mane
“The best don’t want to go to Man Utd, they want to go to Man City or Real Madrid,” Cantona told The Times.
“They have to be more clever, like when [Mohamed] Salah and [Sadio] Mané went to Liverpool. They were not the greatest in the world, but they saw they could play together.”
Cantona went on to use Liverpool as a reference point in regards to winning a Premier League title. Man United’s last league title came in 2013, and Cantona says his old club should use the Reds as an example.
“It’s difficult in England. Look how long Liverpool waited to win [a Premier League title] — 30 years,” said Cantona.
“At United it was 26, at Leeds, when I was there, 18. You cannot win every time but it’s the way you play, the attitude. That is different.
“You can lose but you have to give your life for a club like Man United. It’s not only about football. Players come to Man Utd and they are great players but when they arrive and play together they are not as good as they were before.
“It depends on the manager, the atmosphere at the club, the personalities.’
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