PIC: Heartwarming letter from a humble Alex Ferguson to Eric Cantona after the striker retired

One for the Manchester United fans to savour.

It's official, Alex Ferguson has a very real nice side! The former United boss never really came across as the father-figure type of manager but this letter to Eric Cantona proves that he truly had a soft spot in his heart for some of his players. Cantona is widely regarded as one of the greatest ever Manchester United players but he retired from the game at the age of 30 and months after his final game, Ferguson penned a letter to the Frenchman in which he offered up some advice, expressed his gratitude and let Cantona know that he'd always be there for him. The start of the letter is taken up with Fergie talking about how he kept expecting the striker to show up for training before going on to update Cantona on United's pre-season and the signing of Teddy Sheringham. Then comes the lovely, mushy stuff. "I have not won the European Cup and it does get to me at times. However, I just have to carry on and not put up a mental barrier and I have always had that belief and trust in my players and wish to continue to do so. I keep hoping that I will discover a young Cantona. It is a dream! "As I close this letter, I would like to hope that we will have a chat, a drink, or a meal together soon. I know the club has written to you about the forthcoming dinner and I hope you will manage it, but that is not the most important thing, for me it is to remind you how good a player you were for Manchester United and how grateful I am for the service you gave me. I will never forget that and I hope you won't either. "You are always welcome here and if you just pop in unexpectedly for a cup of tea, no fanfare, just for a chat as friends, that would mean more to me than anything. Eric you know where I am if you need me and now that you are no longer one of my players, I hope you know you have a friend." Oh this, it's just something in my eye.