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Manchester United legend Eric Cantona has expressed his concern over whether the club can remain at the pinnacle of European football once Sir Alex Ferguson retires.
On the surface, everything is rosy at United. They might have endured a dodgy start to the season, but they did they the same last term and ended up champions of England and Europe.
With 17 league titles now under their belts and just one more required to match the once-unreachable benchmark set by Liverpool, what could possibly dull the mood at Old Trafford?
Money, is the simple answer. The Red Devils are £600million in debt and, for perhaps the first time in the Premier League era, find themselves having to tread quite lightly on the financial front. Such problems are not only certain to cause ticket prices to rise even further, but they could also bring about the gradual disintegration of United's superstar squad if things get any worse.
It seems only a matter of time before Cristiano Ronaldo jets off to Real Madrid. And while money might - just might - be secondary in that situation, that is certainly not the case with Carlos Tevez.
The Argentine forward was set to pen a permanent deal during the summer, but the deadline-day purchase of Dimitar Berbatov left the well of transfer funds rather drier than expected. Thus, Tevez looks likely to serve the remainder of his two-year loan deal before United stump up the £32million or so required to purchase him from Media Sports Investment - meaning other clubs could potentially swoop in.
Most of the fans are not terribly worried at the moment, as they are confident the club will continue to challenge for top honours while Ferguson is at the helm. However, the legendary Scot has said he is likely to hang up his managerial mantle within the next three years - and what then for the Red Devils?
Cantona is one of those looking ahead to post-Ferguson United, and he is more than a little worried at what the future holds for his former club.
Concerned
“I can understand why the fans are concerned. The philosophy of the club will never change while Alex Ferguson is at the club. After he leaves . . . that's what makes me worry,†the Frenchman said in The Sun.
“Ferguson is so strong, so popular, he can control everything. For the moment nothing has changed there — apart from in an economic way.
“I'm worried about the future. I hope that things will not change.â€
Cantona is one among many ex-United stars to have been touted as Ferguson's potential successor, along with the likes of Roy Keane, Paul Ince and Mark Hughes. Filling the post will only be half the problem, however, as there remains the small matter of the new manager not only making his mark on the team, but also on the club and its directors.
For paramount to Ferguson's success has been his no-frills relationship with his 'superiors'. He has never compromised his own role to please the higher-ups, and the understanding he has forged with the Glazer family is something Rafael Benitez could only dream of replicating at Anfield.
So will it all fall apart when Ferguson leaves the Red Devils? Will the enormous empire that has been built over the last two decades suddenly crumble when the Glaswegian withdraws his considerable presence? In other words, will the United die-hards who protested the Glazers' arrival back in 2005 be proven right?
FC United
A key element of the protesters' campaign was the foundation of FC United of Manchester, the semi-professional club which is vying for promotion to Conference North this season. The idea behind the organisation was to provide loyal Man U fans with an alternative to the foreign-owned franchise their team has become - in essence to create a club founded for the fans, by the fans.
Cantona is a huge supporter of FC United, as he believes their roots and their modus operandi are a pure and untainted throwback to how clubs were originally reared and run.
He added: “They have a great idea. I hope they will become a great club and win the European Cup in 50 years' time.
“Every club has to be created at one point. Now I am interested in the people who create clubs. Which type of people created Manchester United or Manchester City?.â€
It is impossible to say whether FC United will push on toward continental glory in the distant future; but there are signs that their premonitions of United the first being beset by unmanageable debts could come into fruition - especially if UEFA introduce their proposed licensing system, which will see clubs booted out of European competition if they spend beyond their means.
On the surface, everything is rosy at United. They might have endured a dodgy start to the season, but they did they the same last term and ended up champions of England and Europe.
With 17 league titles now under their belts and just one more required to match the once-unreachable benchmark set by Liverpool, what could possibly dull the mood at Old Trafford?
Money, is the simple answer. The Red Devils are £600million in debt and, for perhaps the first time in the Premier League era, find themselves having to tread quite lightly on the financial front. Such problems are not only certain to cause ticket prices to rise even further, but they could also bring about the gradual disintegration of United's superstar squad if things get any worse.
It seems only a matter of time before Cristiano Ronaldo jets off to Real Madrid. And while money might - just might - be secondary in that situation, that is certainly not the case with Carlos Tevez.
The Argentine forward was set to pen a permanent deal during the summer, but the deadline-day purchase of Dimitar Berbatov left the well of transfer funds rather drier than expected. Thus, Tevez looks likely to serve the remainder of his two-year loan deal before United stump up the £32million or so required to purchase him from Media Sports Investment - meaning other clubs could potentially swoop in.
Most of the fans are not terribly worried at the moment, as they are confident the club will continue to challenge for top honours while Ferguson is at the helm. However, the legendary Scot has said he is likely to hang up his managerial mantle within the next three years - and what then for the Red Devils?
Cantona is one of those looking ahead to post-Ferguson United, and he is more than a little worried at what the future holds for his former club.
Concerned
“I can understand why the fans are concerned. The philosophy of the club will never change while Alex Ferguson is at the club. After he leaves . . . that's what makes me worry,†the Frenchman said in The Sun.
“Ferguson is so strong, so popular, he can control everything. For the moment nothing has changed there — apart from in an economic way.
“I'm worried about the future. I hope that things will not change.â€
Cantona is one among many ex-United stars to have been touted as Ferguson's potential successor, along with the likes of Roy Keane, Paul Ince and Mark Hughes. Filling the post will only be half the problem, however, as there remains the small matter of the new manager not only making his mark on the team, but also on the club and its directors.
For paramount to Ferguson's success has been his no-frills relationship with his 'superiors'. He has never compromised his own role to please the higher-ups, and the understanding he has forged with the Glazer family is something Rafael Benitez could only dream of replicating at Anfield.
So will it all fall apart when Ferguson leaves the Red Devils? Will the enormous empire that has been built over the last two decades suddenly crumble when the Glaswegian withdraws his considerable presence? In other words, will the United die-hards who protested the Glazers' arrival back in 2005 be proven right?
FC United
A key element of the protesters' campaign was the foundation of FC United of Manchester, the semi-professional club which is vying for promotion to Conference North this season. The idea behind the organisation was to provide loyal Man U fans with an alternative to the foreign-owned franchise their team has become - in essence to create a club founded for the fans, by the fans.
Cantona is a huge supporter of FC United, as he believes their roots and their modus operandi are a pure and untainted throwback to how clubs were originally reared and run.
He added: “They have a great idea. I hope they will become a great club and win the European Cup in 50 years' time.
“Every club has to be created at one point. Now I am interested in the people who create clubs. Which type of people created Manchester United or Manchester City?.â€
It is impossible to say whether FC United will push on toward continental glory in the distant future; but there are signs that their premonitions of United the first being beset by unmanageable debts could come into fruition - especially if UEFA introduce their proposed licensing system, which will see clubs booted out of European competition if they spend beyond their means.