EXCLUSIVE
Graeme Souness rejected chance to sign Eric Cantona at Liverpool before he became Man United legend
Graeme Souness has told talkSPORT he turned down the chance to sign Eric Cantona while in charge of Liverpool.
When someone mentions Manchester United's iconic No. 7 shirt, the mind instantly turns to club legends including David Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo and also Cantona.
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But Cantona was close to signing for Liverpool before he went on to forge his legend at Old Trafford - and it was only Souness who stopped a transfer from happening.
Speaking to Jim White, who was filling in for Simon Jordan on talkSPORT's , Souness opened up on when Liverpool took on Auxerre in the UEFA Cup in 1991 with then-France manager Michel Platini attending.
"I'll tell you a story about Eric Cantona. I'm manager of Liverpool and we play Auxerre in the UEFA Cup," he said.
"We lost 2-0 there and we came back and beat them 3-0. I was in my office and a guy called Terry Littlewood, who was in charge of security from my office, he controlled the corridor.
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"He knocked on my door and said someone wants to come and see you.
"I said, 'Who is it?' He said, 'it's Michel Platini'. So he came in and I've only ever played against him a few times and only ever tried to kick him.
"So I wasn't exactly his mate but he gave me a hug, kissed me on both cheeks, and ends up saying, 'I've got a player for you, he is perfect for you. He's a problem boy in France but he'd be great for your football club'.
"Eric Cantona. I'd never heard of him, and I said, 'look, I am fighting fires here at the moment, I believe he's a proper player but right now I don't need any more problem boys'.
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"So he could have been a Liverpool player."
White was left stunned and asked if he regretted making such a decision, to which Souness replied: "Doesn't haunt me, no. Because at the time…
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"Part of my job at Liverpool was to get the old brigade out and bring new ones in and I was having difficulties with the first part of that job."
Cantona had come up through the academy at Auxerre but was not playing for them at the time but a series of problems, including a kung-fu kick on a Nantes player, had seen him leave for Marseille in 1989 for a French record fee.
His bad boy antics continued at Marseille and he was sold to Nimes in 1991 before Platini, who was a huge fan of the forward as France manager set out on a mission to get him to play in England.
While Liverpool turned down the chance to sign Cantona, Sheffield Wednesday offered him a trial before Leeds United snapped him up in January 1992.
United would eventually snap him up just ten months later where he would become a club legend, scoring 82 times in 185 appearances and helping Sir Alex Ferguson win four Premier League titles and two FA Cups.
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