Eric Cantona is widely known for his time at Manchester United, where he had a magical 5 year stint that saw him win 4 Premier League titles. He was one of the finest players of his era, with his immense versatility seeing him operate as a deep-lying forward, attacking midfielder, striker, centre-forward, and even a central midfielder.
The Frenchman's legendary time with the Red Devils has overshadowed other phases of his career, and one of those was his infamous time at Leeds United. Let us now look back the Cantona's years at Leeds United.
The super sub
It was in January 1992 that French club Nîmes allowed Cantona to move to Leeds on a £100,000 loan deal. The loan period was about 3 months, with an option to later make the deal permanent for £900,000. Cantona only made 15 appearances that season, scoring 3 goals in the process. Despite this, he went on to have an unforgettable chapter with his new club.
Leeds United managed to finish that season as the final Football League First Division Champion's, before its revamp into the Premier League that we all know today. Cantona was instrumental in achieving the historic feat, as he a crucial super-sub throughout the season. The Frenchman was supplied several crucial assists to teammate Lee Chapman that season, who was the club's top scorer that campaign.
Cantona's lack of football participation before signing for Leeds was what ultimately stopped him from nailing a permanent spot in their starting lineup. Manager Howard Wilkinson also preferred to bring in the Frenchman against tiring defences in games.
Leeds experienced several difficulties throughout the season, with failure to earn victories against the likes of Arsenal, West Ham, and Manchester City making things complicated for them. Manchester United were the other side that were competing in the title race.
However, Cantona and his teammates went on a brilliant unbeaten run for the final 5 league games, which ultimately clinched them the league over Manchester United. Cantona's brilliance also saw his transfer made permanent during that season, with the Frenchman also promised a then generous £7,000 a week wages.
A contrasting second season
The 1992–93 season began on a brilliant note for Cantona and Leeds, as he scored a hat-trick to help his side beat Liverpool 4-3 in the 1992 FA Charity Shield. This feat also made Cantona join a special list of players that have scored three or more goals at Wembley Stadium.
Leeds United began their league defense on a bright note with a 2-1 win over Wimbledon. However, this was followed by a 4-1 defeat to Middlesbrough. As the season progressed, Leeds slipped into mid-table, despite the brilliant contributions of Cantona.
The poor form extended to their first European Cup Campaign since 1974–75, with a 3-0 defeat against Stuttgart. An injured Cantona took part in the match, and was responsible for one of the Stuttgart goals. This led to a rift between the player and his manager Wilkinson.
Despite moments of brilliance here and there, Leeds and Cantona struggled in the league and got knocked out of the European Cup.The poor form also resulted in Cantona publicly displaying his frustrations, which further grew the rift between him and his manager. He eventually sat on the substitutes bench for several matches following those incidents.
All these events ultimately led to a furious Cantona refusing to report for training and faxing a transfer request to the club on 24th November. That spelled the end of his magical, yet tragic time at the club.
The rest as they say is history, as the Frenchman joined a certain Red Devils to begin the next chapter of his career.
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