French actor, singer and former professional footballer Eric Cantona has hinted at his interest in a role at Manchester United under the club's new part-owner, Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
The former United forward, who won four Premier League titles and two FA Cups with the club before retiring as a player in 1997, expressed that the club "remains close to my heart."
In an interview with the Big Issue ahead of the release of his live album later this month, Cantona, known for his enigmatic style both on and off the pitch, mentioned that he currently lacks the time to take on a coaching role when asked about a potential position at Old Trafford.
"I am involved in too many things; I really love to be a manager," he said. "In everything I do, I work hard to give 100% so that I am able to have the confidence and to enjoy.
"So I don’t have the time to be a manager. But maybe something else..."
Ratcliffe completed a 1.25 billion pounds ($1.6 billion) deal to buy a 27.7% stake in United last month, and Cantona is confident the club will be challenging for major honors again.
"For sure with Jim Ratcliffe, I think we come back as the best," the 57-year-old said.
"The way you drive the club is important. Ratcliffe, who has been a fan of United forever, is a great businessman, of course, but is also very passionate about sport."
Cantona, who walked away from football aged 30 because he "lost the passion," said he could have played for "five or seven more years."
"I never played football for money. I would have paid a lot of money to play for Manchester United," he said.
Cantona, who embarked on an acting career following retirement, added: "I always knew that I would do something in art, any kind of arts, painting, photography, acting. Music is the last one.
"Music, it’s the closest thing to the excitement we can have when we play football. Music touches you. Every one of us. I don’t think it’s a human being that creates music. Music is a part of a human being.
"See a kid 2 years old and they start walking, they hear music and they start to dance. They never learned music. The music is something special."
