Eric Cantona has applauded two Liverpool transfers as he called for Manchester United to follow suit. The two Reds are now legends.
Eric Cantona handed down some advice to Manchester United this week. He told The Times that they can’t compete at the top of the transfer market anymore.
And that’s why they should look at what Liverpool did. The Frenchman picked out two Jurgen Klopp transfers as ‘clever’ signings that made all the difference.
“The best don’t want to go to Man Utd, they want to go to Man City or Real Madrid,” said Cantona. “They have to be more clever, like when [Mohamed] Salah and [Sadio] Mané went to Liverpool.
“They were not the greatest in the world, but they saw they could play together.”
Cantona points to Liverpool transfers
Mané and Salah are perhaps the greatest examples of Liverpool’s transfer business under Klopp. Yes, Virgil van Dijk and Alisson Becker arrived as massive signings but the attacking pair were genius deals.
But to truly see that, you need to recognise Roberto Firmino. Liverpool built a trio there, not just a pairing.
Mané arrived simply because Liverpool needed width and pace. The Senegal star had that in spades and instantly improved the side, becoming the best attacker at the club. But he wasn’t quite enough.
His relationship with Firmino was ideal. The Brazilian liked to vacate the centre-forward space, dropping deep to receive the ball. Doing so dragged defenders away and forced teams to play a higher line – that created space for Mané to attack from the flank.
But with Salah, Liverpool doubled-up on that tactic. Firmino dropped, defenders moved, and Liverpool could use players on either side to hit the space and counter-attack in a flash. It was perfection and the biggest reason why they won every trophy in recent years.
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