When Christophe Galtier arrives at Old Trafford this week he will think of Eric Cantona. “For Eric, Manchester United is a story of love,” Galtier says. “When he went to Leeds [United] he proposed to England. When he went to Manchester he married England. And he had such a strong, strong relationship with Sir Alex Ferguson. Ferguson was like his father.”

Galtier is the father of AS Saint-Étienne. He has been coach of the evocative French club, Les Verts, since 2009 and he will lead them into Thursday’s Europa League last-32 tie against United with a passionate, paternal intensity. The 50-year-old is one of the most charismatic, warm – and funny – managers in European football and he is also Cantona’s oldest friend.

Galtier even played in his friend’s last match at Old Trafford – the testimonial for the relatives of the Munich air disaster victims in 1998. “There were French flags on the streets, on the houses, on the balconies,” Galtier says “The stadium was full and they sang La Marseillaise and it was a big, big thing for him.”

The two grew up together in Marseille. They went to school together. They studied and played and dreamt together and they played football together for their first club, Les Caillois. They also played for the France Under-21 team together – winning the European Championship in 1988.