Manchester United legend Eric Cantona doesn’t think Jose Mourinho is a good fit to be Red Devils manager and believes the Old Trafford hierarchy should have tried harder to appoint Pep Guardiola.

Per ESPN FC, Mourinho is expected to be appointed United boss soon following the recent departure of Louis van Gaal, while Guardiola will be in charge of Manchester City next term.

Cantona, 50, said he has much admiration for Mourinho, but the Frenchman does not believe his style of play will be well-received at Old Trafford, per Owen Gibson in the Guardian:

I love José Mourinho, but in terms of the type of football he plays I don’t think he is Manchester United.

I love his personality, I love the passion he has for the game, his humour. He is very intelligent, he demands 100% of his players. And of course he wins things.

But I don’t think it’s the type of football that the fans of Manchester United will love, even if they win. He can win with Manchester United. But do they expect that type of football, even if they win? I don’t think so.

Cantona, of course, was a key component for Sir Alex Ferguson as he won his first four Premier League titles as United manager between 1993 and 1997.

The superlative and tenacious forward played a vital role in establishing the fast-paced, attacking style that would come to be Ferguson’s trademark during his hugely successful 27-year reign at United.

For Cantona, Guardiola would have been the much better appointment to carry on the tradition of attractive football at United, per Gibson:

“Guardiola was the one to take. He is the spiritual son of Johan Cruyff,” said Cantona.

“I would have loved to have seen Guardiola in Manchester [United]. He is the only one to change Manchester. He is in Manchester, but at the wrong one.”

However, Mourinho is seemingly the man the United hierarchy have opted for, and he is likely to bring more success than Van Gaal did. The Dutchman may have led the Red Devils to an FA Cup win on Saturday, but he could only secure a fifth-place finish in the Premier League.

For many, it is a sensible move from United, a move that puts pragmatism over sentiment as they try to become title challengers once again.

Mourinho is a proven winner and is likely to engineer an improvement from the Red Devils even if the footballing traditions of the club are not adhered to, per Match of the Day‘s Gary Lineker:

For others, though, the appointment of the 53-year-old Portuguese boss—formerly in charge and successful at Porto, Inter Milan and Real Madrid as well as Chelsea—is a huge risk.

The Times‘ Matthew Syed warned against “trading the value of a short-term uplift in results on the risk of a man whose narcissistic tendencies shame football and could contaminate the club’s reputation.”

Cantona clearly shares some of Syed’s concerns that Mourinho is not an appointment in keeping with the traditions of the Manchester giants.

He admitted the club have “lost something” since Ferguson departed in 2013 but acknowledged the Scotsman left big shoes to fill, per Gibson.

“It’s difficult to come after someone who has been at the club 25 years,” Cantona said. “Even if you are a great manager, the fans still feel the philosophy of Ferguson.”

In an ideal world, United fans would undoubtedly have wanted to see Ferguson eventually succeeded by one of his former stars, and it previously looked as though Ryan Giggs was being lined up to take the manager’s job at Old Trafford, per BBC Sport.

The Welshman may still get his chance—Mourinho is unlikely to stay in charge at United very long—but Cantona has now put himself forward, per Gibson.

“I do many things, and I’m very happy,” Cantona said. “But if they asked me to become the manager of [United], I would. Because Guardiola is in [City] and they want someone to win things with wonderful football? It’s me.”

It would be an intriguing prospect to see Cantona pacing the touchline at Old Trafford, and his appointment would surely be celebrated by United fans, such is his standing at the club.

However, it seems highly unlikely it will happen soon, if ever, and the hope from Cantona and the United faithful will now be for Mourinho to at least improve results at Old Trafford even if his style is not wholly satisfactory.

from Bleacher Report – Front Page http://ift.tt/1WQ6sJA
via IFTTT http://ift.tt/eA8V8J