Eric Cantona reveals Man Utd ‘guilt’ and names biggest issue since Sir Alex Ferguson’s departure

Eric Cantona has revealed he ‘felt guilty’ that he has not been able to help Manchester United in recent years.

The Frenchman, who scored 81 goals in 181 appearances for the Red Devils, hasn’t been hugely involved with the club in the last decade, as they have struggled in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era.

United have not won a league title since 2013 and have not won any major silverware in over five years.

Speaking in a recent interview, Cantona explained that United’s wasteful approach in the transfer market is the biggest contributing factor to their recent decline, while also detailing how he offered Ed Woodward his services to become club president.

“I felt guilty not trying to help this club to do better,” the 56-year-old told The Athletic. “I said to myself, ‘For five years I will put everything on hold and concentrate 100 % on that’. And if I concentrate 100 % on that, then I can tell you, I would do it very well.

“Now I feel good with myself. I tried. So nobody in my family can say I did not try anything to help United. They do not want it. That’s their choice. But I tried it.

“Ed Woodward is great at marketing but not great at football,” he added. “United should have a chairman and then they should have a president of marketing and then a president of football, who is in charge of all the decisions in football. So I proposed to them that I should be president of football.

“Since Ferguson retired in 2013, the club doubled their revenue but didn’t win anything [United have won the Europa League, FA Cup and EFL Cup since Ferguson but not a title or Champions League].

“So imagine if you succeed in football and also have great people in marketing, then instead of doubling the revenue, then you would treble it. But they do not understand that. The club spends a lot of money. But you have to spend it well.

“But they did not want me to be the president of the club! They did not want me! And the fans have to know that I went and travelled to Manchester to give them the opportunity to succeed in the next decades. And they did not want it.”