Eric Cantona bizarrely names himself as new Manchester United manager

The popular former United player would be an unlikely appointment

Eric Cantona had a colourful Manchester United career. Getty Images

Eric Cantona has announced himself as the new Manchester United manager.

The Frenchman posted a video of himself on Instagram in which he says: "Hello my friends, I would like to tell you in exclusivity that I am the new manager of Manchester United. I will tell you later the name of my great staff. See you soon."

The club has not commented on the video, or made any official announcement as to who will take the managerial role following Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's departure earlier this week.

While United went down the route of appointing a popular former player in Solskjaer and have Michael Carrick currently in a temporary manager role, Cantona has no football managerial experience.

Following his retirement from the game in 1997 he went into acting.

Cantona proved a huge hit during his time at the club as a player. He won the Premier League on four occasions after joining from Leeds United, and also lifted the FA Cup twice.

However, he was involved in controversy in January 1995 when, having been shown a red card for kicking Crystal Palace's Richard Shaw, he then lashed out at a member of the crowd with a "kung-fu kick". He was banned from football and returned to action in October 1995.

United meanwhile have interviewed former Lyon coach Rudi Garcia for the position of interim manager, The National revealed.

Former Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde has also been spoken to, according to reports, while Paris Saint-Germain boss Mauricio Pochettino is thought to be top of the list for a permanent appointment, which the club plan to make at the end of the season.

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Solskjaer's signings at Man United - hit or miss?

Odion Ighalo - The Nigerian striker became Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's first singing in January 2020 when he moved to Old Trafford on loan. Made 23 appearances for United, scoring five goals, but was always just a stop-gap. Verdict: MISS. PA

Bruno Fernandes - The Portuguese playmaker hit the ground running after signing for €63 million from Sporting in January 2020, and was voted Premier League player of the month in February that year. The creative spark of United's midfield who chips in with more than his fair share of goals. Verdict: HIT. AFP

Daniel James - United beat Leeds United and a host of others to the signature of the highly-rated Welsh winger, coughing up €17.8m to Swansea City in June 2019. Never established himself as a regular at Old Trafford and was sold in the summer to Premier League rivals Leeds. Verdict: MISS. PA

Aaron Wan-Bissaka - Signed for a fee of €55m from Crystal Palace after a storming debut season in the English top flight. The English right-back is regularly at the top of the charts for interceptions and one of the better performers in an unreliable defensive unit. Verdict: HIT. AFP

Harry Maguire - The world's most expensive defender has endured a nightmare campaign punctuated by sloppy errors. The latest saw him shown a red card for a crude challenge in the 4-1 humiliation to Watford that proved the death knell in Solskjaer's reign. His performances are nowhere near justifying United's €87m outlay. Verdict: MISS. AFP

Donny van de Beek - Has cut a frustrated figure at Old Trafford since arriving from Ajax for €39m in August 2020. Solskjaer's preferred midfield pairing of Fred and Scott McTominay was plenty destructive but lacked the creativity and slick passing of the Dutch international. Scored the last goal of Solskjaer's reign in the defeat at Watford after coming off the bench. Verdict: MISS. AFP

Edinson Cavani - The prolific Uruguayan's arrival on a free transfer from PSG was initially greeted with scepticism, with critics using his age against him. But Cavani has shown class is permanent, and 18 goals in 13 months don't tell the whole story as he was criminally underused by Solskjaer. Has been relegated to a watching brief since Cristiano Ronaldo's arrival instead of being paired with him. Verdict: HIT. AFP

Facundo Pellistri - The 19-year-old Uruguayan winger is seen as one for the future and has been loaned to Spanish club Alaves since January. Verdict: N/A. PA

Alex Telles - Signed from Porto in October 2020 to put pressure on Luke Shaw for the left-back berth. In one respect his signing had the desired result, with Shaw showing huge improvement in 2020/21. However, the Englishman's form has suffered as United have struggled this term. Verdict: MISS. AP Photo

Amad Diallo - Another young winger signed for the long term. Diallo's performances for Atalanta persuaded United to sign the 19-year-old Ivory Coast international for €21.3m in January. Has found competition for places tough so far. Verdict: N/A. Getty Images

Tom Heaton - The veteran goalkeeper's career has come full circle to see him back at Old Trafford. Very much a back-up to David de Gea and Dean Henderson. Verdict: N/A. AFP

Cristiano Ronaldo - The blame for Solskjaer and United's demise has been laid at Ronaldo's feet, with critics saying he upsets the balance of the side. But United's problems run much deeper than Ronaldo, and there's a strong argument to be made that without his nine goals so far this season United would be in an even worse predicament. Verdict: HIT. PA

Jadon Sancho - United's huge outlay in the recent transfer window was highlighted by the €85m purchase to bring Sancho to Old Trafford from Borussia Dortmund. Has so far looked a shadow of the flying winger that terrorised Bundesliga defences and formed such a prolific partnership with Erling Haaland. Has the talent and ability to turn his fortunes around though. Verdict: MISS. AFP

Raphael Varane - United finally secured their long-term target after a decade of overtures to the former Real Madrid stalwart. His move to Old Trafford has been hampered by injuries, though, and when he has featured he has looked far from a World Cup-winning centre-back. Verdict: MISS. PA

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United started what will surely be a brief period under Carrick with a 2-0 victory over Villarreal on Tuesday to their place in the knockout stage of the Champions League.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Jadon Sancho were on the scoresheet to offer some relief to the club and its fans after a wretched run of form which led to Solskjaer's departure.