Graeme Souness turned down the chance to sign Eric Cantona at Liverpool before becoming a Man United legend
Graeme Souness told talkSPORT that he turned down the opportunity to sign Eric Cantona while he was in charge of Liverpool.
When someone mentions manchester unitedWearing the iconic number 7 shirt, the mind instantly goes to the club's legends, including David Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo and also Cantona.
But Cantona was close to signing for Liverpool before forging his legend at Old Trafford, with only Souness preventing a transfer from taking place.
Talking to Jim White, who was filling in Simon Jordan on talkSPORT Simon and Souness PodcastSouness spoke about when Liverpool faced Auxerre in the UEFA Cup in 1991, with then France coach Michel Platini in attendance.
“I'll tell you a story about Eric Cantona. I'm Liverpool manager and we played against Auxerre in the UEFA Cup,” he said.
“We lost 2-0 there and we came back and beat them 3-0. “I was in my office and a guy called Terry Littlewood, who was in charge of security in my office, was controlling the hallway.
“He knocked on my door and said someone wants to come see you.
“I said, 'Who is it?' He said, ‘It’s Michel Platini.’ So he came in and I just played against him a few times and just tried to kick him.
“So I wasn't exactly his teammate, but he gave me a hug, kissed me on both cheeks and ended up saying: 'I have a player for you, he's perfect for you. He's a problematic boy in France, but he'd be great for your club.' soccer”.
“Eric Cantona. I'd never heard of him, and I said, 'Look, I'm putting out fires here right now, I think he's a good player, but I don't need any more problem kids right now.'
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“So he could have been a Liverpool player.”
White was stunned and asked if he regretted making such a decision, to which Souness replied: “It doesn't haunt me, no. Because at that moment…
“Part of my job in Liverpool was to take out the old brigade and bring in new ones and I was having difficulty with the first part of that job.”
Cantona had come through the Auxerre academy but was not playing for them at the time, but a series of problems, including a kung-fu kick on a Nantes player, led to him leaving for Marseille in 1989 for a French record fee. .
His bad boy antics continued at Marseille and he was sold to Nimes in 1991 before Platini, who was a big admirer of the striker when he was France coach, made it his mission to get him to play in England.
While Liverpool turned down the opportunity to sign Cantona, Sheffield Wednesday offered him a trial before Leeds United He acquired it in January 1992.
United would finally sign him just ten months later, where he would become a club legend, scoring 82 goals in 185 appearances and helping Mr Alex Ferguson Win four Premier League titles and two FA Cups.
