Nicky Butt exposes preferential treatment given to one Man Utd star by Sir Alex Ferguson

Nicky Butt has disclosed that legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson gave former Manchester United striker Eric Cantona special treatment compared to other players.

Cantona played a huge role in United’s success in the early stages of the Premier League era, helping the Red Devils win four league titles and two FA Cups.

Manchester United have more prolific goalsorers than Cantona, who contributed 82 in 185 appearances, but few can claim to have had more of an influence than the Frenchman.

Cantona only spent five seasons at United – one of which was severely interrupted by a ban from playing football over his infamous kung fu-style kick on a fan – but many Old Trafford greats nevertheless view him as one of the most influential players in the club’s history.

Butt and fellow ex-Manchester United star Paul Scholes also hold Cantona in high regard, claiming they felt unbeatable lining up alongside the forward.

They also believe Cantona was treated ‘differently’ by Ferguson, who won more trophies than any other manager in history during his remarkable 27-year spell in charge of the club.

‘He was the ultimate professional in training and he loved being the main man on the stage,’ Butt said of Cantona on the Football’s Greatest podcast.

‘You saw him in the changing room, collars up, chest out. I looked at him and thought, if he’s in the team we will win. A bit like with Roy Keane a few years later.

‘What he did in his first game back since the ban (in a 2-2 draw with Liverpool in 1995) was amazing.

‘I remember going to a Player of the Year award or some function and I walked in with a suit and tie on. My ties was probably an inch loose because I drove in and didn’t want a tight tie.

‘The gaffer [Ferguson] has gone, “do your tie up… you look like a tramp!” So I’ve done it and then Eric’s walked in with white jeans and Nike trainers on and a cap.

‘The gaffer’s gone, “look how cool he is, he’s some man him”. I looked at him like, “what a p***k”, you’ve told me to do my tie up by an inch!

‘But that was Eric wasn’t it? He was very different and the genius of the manager was he understood that. I didn’t back then.

‘But when you get older and do a bit of coaching and leadership courses you realise you have to treat people differently sometimes.

‘I remember looking at him in the dressing room before his comeback and he didn’t even look fazed.

‘He was always at the same level until he snapped and then he went to a totally different level.

‘Remember Galatasaray away? He stood up and walked towards their changing room on his own to fight one of their lads. He had completely gone.

‘One time at Chester races he tried to go downstairs to fight loads of Liverpool fans!’

Cantona wasted no time before making an impact upon his return to Premier League football, scoring a penalty and making an assist in a 2-2 draw with Liverpool.

‘With Eric’s big comeback, obviously there was a big build up,’ said Scholes. ‘Coming into a game like that, the stage was just set perfectly for him and that’s what he loved, the theatre of it all.

‘People called it arrogant but he wasn’t, he was unassuming and professional. He’s just so cool.

‘He had a big influence on all of us I think. Not so much by what he said but by his actions and the way he trained.

‘He was probably the first player who would go in the gym before and after training. He had a big influence on us.’

For more stories like this, check our sport page.

Follow for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.