Cantona in four-letter TV outburst

Manchester United legend Eric Cantona caused a furore last night when he used an obscenity in a live interview on television.

Cantona was speaking on a show on MUTV which gives supporters the chance to quiz guests and was broadcast at 5.30pm - prime-time family viewing.

When he was asked if he respected other people, the volatile Frenchman offered one of his idiosyncratic explanations, saying: "Of course I respect everybody.
"Any time I had a problem, it is because people do not respect me.

"I have to feel I am important.

"If I feel I am important, I don't answer, even if they insult me."

Cantona, who was banned for nine months for his kung-fu kick against an opposition fan at Selhurst Park, then went on to give an example of abuse he may be subjected to by using the f-word.

"They can say 'f*** your mother' and I would say nothing because I am an example. I respect people and they have to respect me."

Cantona claims he might like to return to the club as manager one day - but only if he feels he has something original to offer.

The Frenchman was a one-off as a player, where his dedication and talent helped United win four Premier League titles and two FA Cups in a five-year spell at Old Trafford.

He insists he would not come back unless he felt capable of being a creative coach, citing Johan Cruyff as a mould-breaker when he took over at Barcelona, leading them to the European Cup in 1992.

"Would I return? Not in the near future because I have been away from football and sometimes I do not even know the names of younger players," admitted Cantona.

"If I come back I will need to be involved in football for two or three years, because things change. If I come back it will be because I think I have something to give.

"I don't want to be a manager like everybody else, playing the same system. I want to be like I was as a player, I want to create something.

"I remember the 1970s with Ajax, and after that Cruyff as a manager at Barcelona. It was a new system. It's like in music, when you are a rock star and you create something new," he told MUTV.

Cantona has backed the fight against Malcolm Glazer's attempted takeover of United, urging the American tycoon to "buy Coca-Cola" instead.

The 38-year-old threw his support behind the Shareholders United group which is determined to keep the club out of private hands.

Asked about the possible takeover by Glazer, the Frenchman said: "I don't think it would be a good thing. Not at all. For me, what I like and what I love about this club is the identity, the philosophy.

"If someone was to come here, we would lose everything. I am against this kind of thing because I am like a child - I am a dreamer. I don't want these kinds of people to come here.

"If it is not Manchester United, if it is not a club where he can earn so much money, do you think he would love to come? I don't think so. If it is not like that, he can stay (in America) and buy Coca-Cola."