Eric Cantona furiously slams Sir Jim Ratcliffe in foul-mouthed Sir Alex Ferguson rant

Former Manchester United forward Eric Cantona is absolutely seething at Sir Jim Ratcliffe for taking away Sir Alex Ferguson’s £2.16million ambassadorial role at the club

A furious Eric Cantona says Sir Jim Ratcliffe deserves to be thrown in a “big bag of s***” for his disrespectful treatment of Manchester United legend Sir Alex Ferguson.

Ferguson has lost his £2.16million-a-year role as a club ambassador following a frank face-to-face meeting with Ratcliffe. The United co-owner is desperate to make savings and made the controversial call to get rid of the avenue that has earned Ferguson around £25m since he retired in May 2013.

The 82-year-old, who managed United for 26 years and won 38 trophies, is understood to have taken the news with good grace. He is still expected to continue attending matches at Old Trafford, where he has frequently been pictured sitting next to Ratcliffe.

But Ratcliffe’s decision has caused a stir at the club and Cantona has given the most frank reaction yet. Posting a picture of himself with Ferguson on Instagram to his 1.4million followers, he wrote: “Sir Alex Ferguson should be able to do anything he wants at the club until the day he dies. Such a lack of respect. It’s totally scandalous. Sir Alex Ferguson will be my boss forever! And I throw them all in a big bag of s***!”

Former United defender Rio Ferdinand has also given his take on the news, tweeting: “If Sir Alex can be taken out, then NO ONE IS SAFE at Man Utd – anyone can get it now. Ineos sending a message to ANYONE at the club?!?”

Ratcliffe has shown he is not scared of upsetting people while doing what he feels is right for United. The INEOS billionaire has already sacked 250 people – around a quarter of United’s staff – in an effort to claw back £10m. He has also scrapped freebies and cancelled the Christmas party in moves which have made him unpopular around the club.

His axing of Ferguson comes in spite of his glowing opinion of his achievements at United between 1986 and 2013. Speaking earlier this year, he said: “He’s got a lot of experience, a lot of stories to tell and a lot of thoughts about the club.

“I don’t think he has been encouraged to get involved but he is still very thoughtful about the club and he has an immense amount of experience. He really understands the values and traditions of the club and what it’s all about. He is still fiercely competitive, Sir Alex Ferguson.”

Ratcliffe, who also owns OGC Nice and Lausanne, has completely reshaped the United executive team, bringing in Omar Berrada as chief executive, Dan Ashworth as sporting director and Jason Wilcox as football director.

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