‘Man Utd manager was ready to get rid of me - until his wife changed his mind’

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Eric Cantona claimed that Sir Alex Ferguson was on the brink of giving him the boot at Manchester United , only for the legendary manager's late wife Cathy to step in and sort it out. The French striker enjoyed five hugely successful years at Old Trafford, winning four Premier League titles and two FA Cups, cementing his status as one of the most influential players in the club's history.

Yet for all his brilliance, Sir Alex came close to getting rid of him because of his unpredictable behaviour.

Speaking at the premiere of his new documentary at the Cannes Film Festival, Cantona said: "This is the story of my life, of a man who was in search of himself and another who helps him find himself. It was almost a challenge that Alex Ferguson took on. At one time, he wanted to let me go, but his wife convinced him to continue with me."

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Cantona's most notorious moment in English football came in January 1995 during an away match against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.

He received his marching orders for a foul on Richard Shaw and, as he was being escorted from the pitch, a Palace supporter hurled abuse at him from the stands. The enraged Frenchman vaulted over the advertising hoarding and launched a kung-fu kick into the chest of the fan before throwing punches.

The incident sent shockwaves through the game. Cantona was stripped of the French national team captaincy, handed a £20,000 fine, ordered to complete 120 hours of community service, and banned from football for eight months by the FA.

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Yet despite his fiery temperament, Ferguson found a way to get the best out of him - and he was not alone in that endeavour. Guy Roux, who had coached Cantona during his teenage years at Auxerre, offered Ferguson a crucial insight into how to handle the chaotic forward.

Cantona explained: "Guy Roux advised: 'You have to love him and, if you give him this love, he will give you his life in return.' When I arrived in England, there were no Frenchmen and very few foreigners. People looked at me with a bit of contempt.

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