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Eric Cantona claims Ole Gunnar Solskjaer should be given the Manchester United job permanently because he is “the spiritual son of Alex Ferguson”.

Cantona feels Solskjaer has restored United’s identity after the lost years since Fergie retired and says he understands the club’s soul.

“He’s got the soul of the club and you feel that he has been inspired by Alex Ferguson,” said the United legend.

“It’s like Johan Cruyff and Pep Guardiola in Barcelona - Ole Gunnar is the spiritual son of Alex Ferguson.

“Not all players can become managers, but some of them can and for me it’s important that at a club like Manchester United you have somebody who has the soul of the club, who understands the club from inside.

(Image: REUTERS)

“I think he should be given the job permanently. I would love to see that.

“I don’t know the agreement he has with the club, but for me as a fan - because now I am a United fan - it’s a great feeling to feel the soul of the club, finally. We lost that since Ferguson retired.”

Cantona feels Solskjaer’s knowledge of United gives him the edge over his main rival for the job, Mauricio Pochettino.

(Image: REUTERS)

“For me it’s important that the manager understands the club, who has the soul of the club,” said the Frenchman.

“It’s why I said before about Guardiola in Barcelona. He was a player when Cruyff was the manager. He then became the manager of Barcelona with the soul of the club, and the soul of Johan Cruyff.

“You can have a manager that comes from somewhere else, but they need to understand the club - to have the soul of the club.”

(Image: Internet Unknown)

Cantona captained Solskjaer in his final season at Old Trafford and says he is not surprised by his success.

“I’m not surprised at all,” he said. “Finally, the club made the right decision, a decision I think they should have made a long time ago.

“It’s been hard, but all big clubs sometimes have bad times. They will be back, but the worst thing was that the identity of the club was missing. Because you can lose, so long as you do it with the right identity and philosophy.”

(Image: PA)

Cantona says it pains him to see United’s biggest rivals - Liverpool and Manchester City - at the top of the table and claims he hopes neither wins.

“It hurts a lot,” he said. “If United had started the season 10 games ago, they would be top of the league.

“I prefer nobody to win. It’s like asking me if I’d prefer to have my teeth made of wood or my legs of sponge.”

Eric Cantona was speaking exclusively to Paddy Power News. The full interview is available to read at: https://news.paddypower.com/football/2019/02/22/eric-cantona-solskjaer-man-united/