'I won 4 Premier League titles with Sir Alex at Man Utd - he should be able to do what he wants at the club'

Manchester United’s decision to cut Sir Alex Ferguson’s £2.16 million annual contract with the club has been met with an angry response by one of the Scotsman’s former players.

One of the most vocal opponents of the decision has been Eric Cantona, who played under Ferguson at United between the years of 1992 and 1997. During the Frenchman’s time at the club, he won four Premier League titles and two FA Cups. Outside of United, Cantona played for teams such as Leeds United, AJ Auxerre and Marseille.

Cantona made a post on his official Instagram page to voice his discontent, in which he wrote: “Sir Alex Ferguson should be able to do anything he wants at the club until the day he dies. Such a lack of respect. It’s totally scandalous. Sir Alex Ferguson will be my boss forever! And I throw them all in a big bag of ***!” CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE LATEST PREMIER LEAGUE WEEKLY SHOW ON SHOTS! TV

According to The Times, Ferguson has also been banned from entering the home dressing room at full time. Jim Ratcliffe is looking to cut costs at United to offset the club’s debts - he told staff in the summer that 250 jobs would be cut. Ferguson will, however, remain in place at Old Trafford as a non-executive director. The decision was thought to be ‘amicable’ from Ferguson’s perspective, as reported by Manchester World on Wednesday.

Much of United’s current debts have come as a result of their high spending in the summer, during which they brought players such as Joshua Zirkzee, Matthijs de Ligt and Manuel Ugarte to Old Trafford. In total, the Red Devils’ net spend comes to a total of over £100 million. They were also the second highest spenders in the league.

As such, cost cutting measures will need to be implemented to steady the ship. Senior executives have also had their access to club credit cards removed, while the club also axed free travel for staff to the FA Cup final against Man City, as well as the cancellation of the United employee Christmas party.