Lee Sharpe has described the scene in the dressing room after Eric Cantona’s kung-fu kick at Selhurst Park in 1995.
After receiving a red card in the match against Crystal Palace, Cantona launched himself towards a supporter in the stands who had been verbally abusing him, and was suspended by the FA for eight months for his act.
The Frenchman was Manchester United’s talisman, and their quest for a third consecutive Premier League title was derailed due to his absence.
Cantona returned in October of that year and led the club to a league and FA Cup double and won the player of the year award in the process.
Sharpe played alongside Cantona for four years at Old Trafford, and was on the pitch the night he attacked the Palace fan. The former England winger often got on the wrong side of Ferguson, who famously ended a party at Sharpe’s house when he opened the door to find Ryan Giggs holding a bottle of beer. Sharpe has said he was “scared to death” of the United manager and his “hairdryer treatment.”
Ferguson was furious following the game at Selhurst Park in January 1995. Sharpe said:
“The manager comes in and he’s absolutely fuming. The door smashes off the back of its hinges. The jacket is off, he’s got the short sleeves rolled up; steam coming out of his ears and frothing at the mouth. There’s benches in the middle of the room with shirts and balls to be signed. Cups of tea and plates of sandwiches. They’re sent f**king flying everywhere.
“We’re getting scalded and getting egg sandwiches down the back of our necks. We look at each other, thinking, ‘F**king hell, Cantona is getting it here!’
“And the he starts, the manager. ‘F**king Pallister, you can’t head anything, you can’t tackle. Incey, where the f**k have you been? Sharpey, my grandmother runs f**king faster than you! … You’re all a f**king disgrace. 9 o’clock, tomorrow morning, I’m going to run your f**king balls off in training. F**king shocking. And Eric…. [in a softer tone] you can’t go round doing things like that son’.”
It’s probably best to let Sharpe tell the rest of the story, which features a lot of swearing…
https://twitter.com/Duncanreddevil/status/927986109560315904
That’s definitely not the first time Sharpe has told that story.
Cantona famously received special treatment from Ferguson, who recognised that the forward didn’t respond well to a tough approach from management. He played for six clubs in his native France, and fell out with Howard Wilkinson at Leeds United.
Ferguson was prepared to be more lenient with Cantona, even if that meant not giving him the hairdryer treatment for kicking a fan.
