It’s fair to say Aston Villa have had a decent start to the season, with beating Liverpool at Anfield a real highlight so far. Last season manager Paul Lambert pinned most of his hopes on youth and inexperience in order to develop top quality players to cope with the pressures of the Premier League – the likes of Matt Lowton, Ashley Westwood, Andreas Weimann and Fabian Delph were very much relied on in the 2013/2014. In some ways it worked with Westwood now one of the first names on the Villa teamsheet and Delph having earned his first call in the international set up for England.

Yet one player that has even surpassed his own expectations and has been a revelation for the Midlands club is central defender Ron Vlaar – who is closer to the other end of the age spectrum. Harshly, the centre half went under the radar and was an unsung hero in the league and it’s only his superb performances for the Netherlands at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil that earned him the recognition he rightly deserves. Holland were defensively one of the best teams in the tournament, conceding just four goals in seven games, with Vlaar playing an integral part in order for them to fulfil Louis Van Gaal’s expectations of reaching the semi-finals. Despite the Dutch having a young and inexperienced defensive line, like with Aston Villa, Vlaar was on hand with his exceptional organisation skills to tighten the three man backline.

After ‘the Oranje’s’ heroics in South America two of Holland’s three man defence moved onto pastures new. 22 year old Bruno Martins-Indi left Feyenoord in order to replace Manchester City’s Eliaquim Mangala at Portuguese outfit FC Porto, while Stefan De Vrij also left the same Eredivisie club, this time for Italian side Lazio. Vlaar has been constantly linked with a move away from Villa Park, with Southampton having looked at the Villains’ captain to replace Dejan Lovren who left for Liverpool. Now, Van Gaal wants him at Manchester United, with the Red Devils having had major injury problems in that department.

Only Argentina’s Ezequiel Garay made more clearances than the no nonsense Dutchman at the World Cup and in the Premier League, only five players who featured at least five times at centre back in England’s top tier last term averaged more tackles per foul than Vlaar. Also, only Crystal Palace and West Ham averaged less possession than Villa last season, which meant the Villains’ backline was under a lot of pressure. His perfectly timed tackles and concentration were the reason Villa are still in the division.

Winning 30.5% of 59 games with Vlaar since he signed in 2012 compared to just 11.8% of the 17 he missed, Villa cannot afford to lose one of their prized assets, and worryingly, he is available on a free transfer in the summer. With Vlaar’s superb attributes and experience, as well as his connections with Van Gaal, this is a player that could become a vital player for Manchester United, unless Villa urgently do something about it.

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Probable Lineups…

Southampton (4-2-3-1): Forster, Clyne, Yoshida, Fonte, Bertrand, Wanyama, Davis, Long, Tadic, Mane, Pelle

Southampton continue their tough round of fixtures when they host Manchester United. Ronald Koeman will be without Jay Rodriguez, James Ward-Prowse, Sam Gallagher, and Morgan Schneiderlin. In addition to his injured stars, the Saints are still waiting for the all-clear on Dusan Tadic, Jack Cork, and Toby Alderweireld, all who are still a doubt for the match. With both Schneiderlin and Ward-Prowse unavailable, Victor Wanyama and Simon Davis are likely to be the selected pair in the heart of midfield. It is unlikely that Koeman will sit back and defend as they hope to avoid a third consecutive loss.

Manchester United (4-3-2-1): De Gea, Valencia, Smalling, Rojo, Young, Fellaini, Carrick, Herrera, Mata, Van Persie, Falcao

The biggest blow for Manchester United will be whether Wayne Rooney is fit for their trip to St Mary’s Stadium. Although reports confirm that the club skipper is fully recovered, it is still unsure whether Louis van Gaal will risk him. Angel di Maria, who limped off against Hull City, is still a doubt and is highly tipped to be left out of the squad this weekend. Good news is that Radamel Falcao could be deployed straight from the kick off alongside Robin Van Persie with Juan Mata continuing his role behind the pair. Should Rooney be deemed fit, Mata may lose his place or Van Gaal may need to do some shuffling. Defensively, United will likely have to go with Antonio Valencia and Ashley Young as the two full backs in order to cope with their injury concerns.

What the fans are saying…

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It ended all square the last time the two teams faced each other in what was the final game of the 2013-2014 season, marking a terrible campaign for the Manchester United as they finished seventh. The Red Devils will have a challenge on their hands as they travel to a new and improved Southampton side with third place up for grabs.

Manuel Pellegrini has revealed that he’s expecting a decision to be made on Frank Lampard’s Manchester City future in the coming few days.

The Chelsea hero joined newly-formed American side New York City FC over the summer after being released by the Blues.

However, with the Big Apple outfit not due to kick a ball in competitive action until spring, their ownership status – Man City and the New York Yankees part run the club – allowed ‘Lamps’ to return to England on a short-term loan deal – which is due to expire next month.

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The move was, at first, concluded with a view to keeping the 36-year-old fit for NYCFC, yet Pellegrini has turned to the veteran on a number of occasions, and has been impressed by his showings.

This has led to talk that he could stay until the end of the season before jetting off to represent New York City FC, and the Sky Blues’ chief says that he is expecting the issue to be clarified imminently:

“I hope Frank’s situation will be resolved in the next days.” He is quoted by the Daily Star.

“I said in the beginning it will be during December we are going to have the last decision. I repeat Frank is very important for our team so I hope he will stay here.”

There have been suggestions that NYCFC may be growing frustrated with Lampard’s spell at City, with the club having invested heavily to land him after his release from Chelsea.

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But, Pellegrini does not think there are any problems:

“I don’t think so (NYC get upset). That is why we have long conversations with all of them. That is just one club, so I think that what is better for the club is better for all the clubs.”

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Nigel Pearson is a name that has certainly been doing the rounds within the footballing community in recent weeks. Whether it be for his side’s inability to turn hard work into Premier League results, the mad touchline incident involving Crystal Palace’s James McArthur, or his apparent sacking, then reported reinstallation as Foxes boss, the former Southampton and Hull City manager has had a lot to contend with this season.

Whilst recent events have hardly shone the 51-year-old in the best of lights, Pearson will seemingly remain in charge of Leicester City for now. He has managed to split opinion down at the King Power stadium, but as the Foxes continue to prop up the Premier League with as little as 17 points at this stage of the campaign, calls for Pearson’s head are becoming more and more frequent.

In light of Leicester’s struggling season, should the Foxes chairmen finally put their manager out of his misery and quickly begin sourcing a replacement, or does Nigel Pearson remain the man most likely to lead Leicester City out of the Premier League’s dreaded relegation zone in 2014/15?

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Wherever your opinion on the former Middlesbrough man currently stands, Pearson is undoubtedly an experienced coach on the touchline. He has been in the management profession, in some form or another, since the late nineties, and as the 2013/14 Championship campaign with Leicester City successfully proved, he certainly has it in him to get the job done.

That said, Pearson himself has had very little experience in managing a solid Premier League outfit who are well versed at remaining in the top-flight of English football. As this kind of mentality is exactly what the Foxes require right now, it becomes increasingly worrying for Nigel Pearson as he drifts further and further away from justifying his current position at the helm of the King Power stadium.

The madness of last weekend’s touch-line dispute with Crystal Palace’s James McArthur, a player who incidentally has since been touted as a failed summer transfer target for Leicester, must have sent an alarming distress call among some of the King Power faithful. Pearson’s lack of control in the dug-out, as well as his bizarre ‘I can look after myself’ post-match interview, has left many unsure as to whether or not the incident was meant to be tongue-in-cheek, or a serious warning to the Crystal Palace player.

Despite remaining a minor and quickly forgettable affair, Nigel Pearson seems to have done only more damage to his managerial credentials throughout it all, which were hardly in the safest place to begin with.

Whilst the future doesn’t exactly look bright for the Foxes boss, Pearson’s potential sacking could still go down as a potentially unwise move. He is the man who successfully got Leicester promoted last season, finishing with a greatly impressive 102 points, and a decent +40 goal difference in the process. To some extent, the Leicester fans are somewhat indebted to Pearson for last campaign’s achievements, and as he knows the players better than anyone else at the moment, giving the boot to such a man might just be a backward step for the plucky Foxes.

There are also very few remaining managerial candidates who could suitably replace the Leicester boss at the King Power stadium. The relegation avoiding Tony Pulis has already been snapped up by West Brom, former boss Martin O’Neill seemingly has his hands tied with Republic of Ireland international duties, so unless the Foxes chairman want to gamble on a Paolo Di Canio style manager, Pearson seemingly remains the best option available.

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All in all then, despite the lack of guarantee surrounding the current Foxes boss at this stage in the season, as well as all the external touchline madness that has influenced his reputation, Leicester City would be shooting themselves in the foot by sacking Nigel Pearson.

If nothing else, he has shown the passion and the commitment necessary to avoid relegation, and because he knows the club better than any other candidate right now, it could simply be even more of a disaster for Leicester if they decide to part ways with their increasingly under-pressure boss.

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Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini says he has spoken to his captain Vincent Kompany about his recent shaky form, and has backed the Belgian to return to his best, reports Eurosport.

The Belgian has come in for some criticism for his recent performances, and was partly at fault for Luis Suarez’ first goal in the 2-1 defeat to Barcelona on Tuesday.

Suarez gave the 28-year-old a torrid time for the majority of the evening, with his two goals ensuring City have a mountain to climb when they head to the Nou Camp in the hope of reaching the Champions League quarter finals.

City currently trail Chelsea by five points at the top of the Premier League, and Pellegrini knows he will need his captain to rediscover his best form quickly if they are to close the gap on Jose Mourinho’s side.

But the Chilean has backed Kompany to return to his old self sooner rather than later.

Pellegrini said: “Vincent is an experienced player with a strong character. He must receive the criticism that everyone receives when our team doesn’t have the performance that everyone hopes for.

“I think it’s not a problem for him, I am sure that he will have a strong reaction.”

Asked if his captain could still be regarded as one of Europe’s best defenders, Pellegrini said: “I think he is a great player.

“I don’t defend the performance of the team – not just Kompany.

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“We played moments of the game, the first 25 minutes and all the second half, without any problem.

“But I think the parts of the game that decided the score were because of poor performance from me and from the team – everyone, not just individuals or the skills of just one player.

“I always talk with the players about their level in private. I don’t analyse what they do to the media.”

After Tottenham Hotspur followed up a goalless draw with Burnley with a defeat to lowly Aston Villa, their hopes of a top four finish are, barring a miracle, over. Now seven points behind Manchester City in fourth with only six games to go, it appears once again, the best the North London club can hope for is a Europa League place.

After their painful defeat in the Capital One Cup Final and their embarrassing defeat to Leicester in the early stages of the FA Cup, Spurs have very little to play for and are in danger of going backwards from now till May. So, has Pochettino really met the expectations that would have been set of him?

Following his stellar season on the South Coast at Southampton last year, the Argentinian was bought in to build on the solid foundation that Tim Sherwood had left.  Achieving 69 points, although well short of the top four places was a good return for what proved to be a turbulent season at The Lane. As well as this Sherwood helped to establish several young players into the squad, including a certain Harry Kane.

Pochettino’s insistence on using Kane as sparingly as he did in the early parts of the season now looks a baffling decision. Without the Englishman’s involvement this season there is a serious assumption to be made that the manager may no longer be in a job. At times he has single-handedly kept Spurs’ season afloat and his inclusion was more by chance than a masterstroke, only a combination of injuries and poor form meant Kane was ever given a chance, in that respect Pochettino can count himself very lucky.

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In defence of the man who now sits in the dugout at White Hart Lane, this season compared to recent ones has been a much quieter in the transfer market, there have been few high profile signings, due to the lavish spending of previous regimes it has certainly been a case of evolution rather than revolution in North London. But nearly all of his signings have proven to be underwhelming; Fazio who was acquired for a reported eight million, seems nowhere near the level that Spurs require. Benjamin Stambouli has been an average addition but has hardly justified his near five million transfer fee.

Pochettino’s influence can be seen in the fitness levels that his players seemed to be showing in the middle stages of the early season. The team went on a remarkable run of scoring late goals which gave credence to the emphasis the Argentinian places on fitness; but as the season has progressed his players have looked lethargic and tired, like the regime he has introduced is not one to deliver success for a whole campaign.

The manager has certainly done enough in his first season to deserve another transfer window at the club, another chance to build his own squad with his own players. But a debut season that is proving to be decidedly underwhelming does certainly not give him the freedom of North London.

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Compared to what fans, board and manager alike this season has failed to reach the heights they would have hoped under the former Southampton manager. But he still has time to change his fortunes and this coming summer is without doubt his most important one in England to date.

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Harry Kane’s rise last season was breath-taking. From a squad man to Spurs’ key striker, stand-in captain and status as a 30+-goal striker, the 21-year-old defied all of the odds, and even netted for England just about a minute after coming on against Lithuania!

Naturally, the bigger sides have come sniffing around, with Manchester United thought to be considering a £40m offer for the Three Lions ace – who is currently away at the European Championships with the U21 side. Although the view among Lilywhites fans is that Kane should not be sold at any price, maybe the fee Louis van Gaal’s side are willing to put down should be, at the very least, considered… and here are FIVE reasons why…

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One-season wonder

Will Kane replicate his form next season? It’s hard to tell. The likes of Michu, Francis Jeffers, Jon Stead, Benjani and, for Spurs fans, Mido have shone brightly for brief periods before sliding away from the limelight and into relative oblivion in the past.

There’s nothing to suggest that Kane will definitely do the same, but with £40m on the table now is it worth taking the risk? After all, his value could fall significantly if he does indeed fizzle out… Much like Andy Carroll!

However, Kane thinks that he’s got plenty more left to offer: “It doesn’t stop here. I want to keep progressing and keep working hard – and keep getting better.”

£40m-£50m could fund overhaul

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A fee of up to a mooted £50m could well transform Spurs’ XI. Okay, the post-Gareth Bale splurge didn’t exactly garner the desired results, but you’d think that lessons will have been learnt from the whole episode, and that such a vast pot of cash won’t be so frivolously wasted once again.

As it stands, Tottenham could do with a top-class central midfielder, a commanding centre-back and, if Kane leaves, a prolific centre-forward… all of which would not be cheap.

Is Kane even that good?

*Puts tin hat on* is Kane actually that good? Like really top quality? Yes his work rate and positioning stand out, however, is he, technically speaking, up there with the likes of Diego Costa, Sergio Aguero and, when fit, Daniel Sturridge? Erm…

His goal record last term cannot be argued with, but taking a look back many of his finishes had an element of luck about them (goalkeepers were very close to keeping them out), while his ‘new kid on the block’ status may have given him a slightly easier ride with some defenders.

Replacements available

Should Kane go, there are a few names out there who could be drafted in… here’s a list:

Charlie Austin

Carlos Bacca

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Anthony Martial

Christian Benteke

Bas Dost

As it stands this is just speculation, but all of the above quintet could offer goals.

The Robbie Keane element…

Sold in July 2008 to Liverpool for a fee of just over £19m and bought back just over six months later for an initial £12m, Spurs well and truly pulled Liverpool’s pants down with Robbie Keane. The Irishman’s moves brought a profit in, and there’s every chance the same could be done with Kane. It may be a long shot, but who knows…

Last season, while the World Cup was capturing the attention of the footballing public, Chelsea flew under the radar and snapped up Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas. They had their shopping done long before anyone else and they already looked like a team to be feared with some of the players they had already. Sure enough, the won the league at a canter.

The season before that it was Manchester City – Fernandinho and Jesus Navas came in very early in that transfer window. Again, they were the team to go on and win the league.

And the club that has been busy the earliest so far this year has been Swansea. They’ve brought in Franck Tabanou from St Etienne and Andrew Ayew from Marseille in some wonderful business. By trade they’ve signed two wingers. Ayew an explosive, direct player with Champions League – even World Cup – experience. And Tabanou is also quick but a much more measured player. He has a good left foot and a trick up his sleeve, but his main skill is his head. He has a wonderful attitude and his ability to read the game has seen him turn into a left back over the last season – that and his love of defending one on one.

I’m not saying that Swansea will win the league! They aren’t at the level of City or Chelsea obviously, but I think they will benefit from the same things after doing their shopping early.

Firstly, getting the signings in quick shows that you know what you want. Garry Monk must have identified those positions as ones where he needed to strengthen, then he’s identified his players and then he signed them. Simple, really, but if you know what you need it really can be that simple – especially if you get in there early.

And the second thing that will help Swansea this season is the fact that these players are coming into the side before pre-season. The new signings will have had time to sort out personal stuff like finding a house and settling into the area before the gruelling pre-season starts in earnest. Once they meet up with the squad, integration will be that much easier, and they’ll get a full, undisrupted pre-season under their belts, which is always important.

It’s that bit easier when it’s not a World Cup year, of course. Chelsea showed it’s not impossible even when there’s a competition on, but this season clubs really could have done their shopping early, and most haven’t done much yet.

That’s not to say they won’t – the transfer window isn’t even open yet. And there’s always the domino effect that transfers have. One club won’t sell until they get their replacement sorted, and then the next club won’t sell the replacement until they get their own replacement sorted.

But Swansea, and in recent years Chelsea and Manchester City should serve as lessons to clubs. Conversely, the Arsenal team of 2011-12 should serve as a warning. After that 8-2 defeat at Old Trafford in August 2011, Arsene Wenger had to panic-buy somewhat. Andre Santos, Per Mertesacker and Mikel Arteta came in on deadline day and that sort of pacified the Arsenal faithful. Mertesacker and Arteta turned out to be decent players for the Gunners but they didn’t have their best season and just about managed to scrape into the Champions League, only a point above Tottenham in fourth, but that season Chelsea won the Champions League depriving fourth place of a Champions League spot.

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It wasn’t that Arsenal signed dud players – though they hardly signed top quality on deadline day. It was that those players didn’t have time to bed in, they didn’t have time to move their lives to London before having to get straight down to the football. They didn’t have a pre season with their new teammates and they didn’t know enough about the style the team was playing in to settle right away. They were always playing catch-up.

And that’s what Swansea have avoided by bringing in their new players before the season started. It’s what Manchester City and Chelsea avoided those years ago too. And this summer other clubs around the Premier League should be wary not to let their shopping drag on towards the deadline. It always pays to do your shopping before the big rush.

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It has been an awful summer for Aston Villa, with the side seeing two of their best players leave in the past week.

Club captain Fabian Delph was the first to exit, joining Manchester City for £8million, to the shock of fans, when just days before he had stated he was staying at the club.

He was followed out the door by Christian Benteke, the man who has single handedly kept Villa in the Premier League with his goals last season, having joined Liverpool in a £32million deal.

Tim Sherwood has some serious work ahead of him to replace his stars before the season starts, otherwise it looks likely the Midland club will be reunited with rivals Birmingham City in the Championship.

Good news for Sherwood is he should have the majority of the £40million they received for the duo to reinvest on his squad.

Here are four players that will help keep them in the Premier League…

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Charlie Austin

Aston Villa’s forward line is looking rather depleted after the sales of Benteke, Bent and Wiemann this summer. Currently they only have Gabby Agbonlahor, Libor Kozak and new signing Jordan Ayew.

Austin is the perfect replacement for Benteke. The player is proven Premier League goalscorer, and last season only Sergio Aguero, Diego Costa and Harry Kane scored more than the QPR strikers 18 league goals.

The new England International is reportedly available for around £15million.

He would fit the style of play at the club with QPR having used similar tactics last season.

Austin combines good technical ability with a strong aerial presence and a keen eye for goal, he would look at home with any team in the league.

He will have a point to prove to England manager Roy Hodgson ahead of next summer’s European Championship, making this a great time to sign the player as he looks to repeat last season’s goalscoring antics.

Steven Caulker

The defence at Villa has always been a major factor in their struggles, not since the days of Martin Laursen and Olof Mellberg have the club had any form of quality at the back.

Sherwood is obviously trying to address that situation, with this summer’s signings of Micah Richards and Jordan Amavi. Both players are highly-rated and many were surprised by their decision to sign contracts at Villa Park.

However, it is the central defensive praetorship that needs most work. Jores Okore is a fairly decent footballer but he is prone to errors and needs an experienced centre back alongside him.

The man for that job can be Steven Caulker, who would be available for around £8million as QPR start getting desperate to get the player’s £30k-a-week wages off the books.

Standing at an imposing 6’3″, Caulker’s ability to cover ground is a major strength of his game. He is comfortable on the ball with his passing ability very impressive for a defender. Add to that an aerial capability that is top class, Caulker often has the upper hand on most strikers.

At just 23-years-old, Caulker has a lot of years ahead of him and can continue to improve his development with a switch to Villa Park.

Esteban Cambiasso

The departure of Delph will hit Villa in more than just the centre of midfield. The club has lost its leader, and there is nobody to encourage the team and lead by example through troubled times.

Esteban Cambiasso would certainly fill both of those gaps. The Argentine has done it all in football – winning 23 trophies throughout his career and he even played a major role in helping Leicester to survive in the Premier League last season.

He would bring valuable experience and expertise that could only benefit everyone at Villa.

The player is a free agent following his decision to leave Leicester at the end of his contract, providing a bargain solution to Tim Sherwood’s problems.

Despite being 34 years of age, Cambiasso still has what it takes to cut it in the top flight of English football, and what he may lack in speed he completely makes up for in vision, leadership, composure and technical ability.

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Signing the midfielder is a win/win situation and Sherwood would be mad not to consider it.

Will Hughes

Even before this summer’s departures, the Villa attack was lacking a real playmaker, a creative force in the middle of the park to create openings for all those around him.

Tom Cleverley was given this role last season and to the surprise of many took to it well, but unfortunately the player turned down an offer from Villa and joined Everton on a permanent deal instead.

Hughes would be a great creative spark in the Villa midfield. Despite only being 20-years-old, he has been a vital member of the Derby County midfield for several seasons.

Hughes’ best attribute is his passing. He is one of those players that seems to notice a pass that nobody else can and is most effective around the edge of the box, where he is able to slot a ball through the opposition’s defence.

The youngster has already attracted interest from a number of top Premier League sides, but the lure of guaranteed first team football at Villa Park and the chance to become a club superstar can help lure him to the club.

Derby will want to put up a fight to keep hold of their star asset but in this age money talks, and it won’t be long before one of football’s hottest prospects is playing in the top flight.

It is now well over two decades since Eric Cantona signed for Manchester United and changed the course of history.

Moving from the champions of England, Leeds United, to their bitter cross-Pennine rivals and the team they beat en route to the 1991/92 league title, Manchester United, it is little exaggeration to suggest that Cantona was the initial catalyst for the 13 Premier League titles won by Sir Alex Ferguson.

His arrival was a watershed moment for United under the Scot- or at least coincided with one. Cantona made the move to Old Trafford in the very first Premier League season: the first season of Manchester United dominance over English football under Ferguson.

It’s easy, from this vantage point, to mythologise Cantona. He carries around him such a radiating aura. If he were a 19th century dramatist, a multitude of searing quotes and piercing witticisms would be misattributed to his greatness. He is the Sherlock Holmes of the footballing world: a troubled and obnoxious genius. His greatness is undeniable, but his self-centredness, his childish selfishness, his penchant for the controversial all make him unbearable.

The 1991/92 season was the end of football and the beginning of Football. The irony – and such irony is never far away from troubled greatness – is that Cantona is an irresistible part of the very modernisation he despised; the critical link between the noble old and the soulless new.

His part in the title-winning Leeds United side of the final pre-Premier League season is easy to overstate. He scored only three league goals that season, fewer than teammate Gary Speed and the same number as Leeds defender Tony Dorigo. United were hardly purchasing Leeds’ talisman.

But for Cantona, it was a Faustian deal with the Red Devils. A deal that saw him go from champion in 1992 – the final days of the old First Division – to retirement in 1997 at the age of 30 after four new Premier League titles and two FA Cups with Manchester United; a retirement decision taken in protest at the growing commercialisation of football.

He was a valued part of a grand old football team in Leeds, but he was the moral, spiritual and footballing leader of a grand new Football team in Manchester. He went from good to great, from talent to icon.

His rise at United was rapid. One of Ferguson’s greatest talents was the ability not just to see a player’s strengths, but to nurture them. With Cantona, he saw a useful dark side and gave it fertile ground to grow. The Frenchman tripled his goal tally in his first season at Old Trafford, scoring nine Premier League goals. He then finished the next season, in 1993/94, as United’s top goalscorer.

Indeed, the next year, 1994/95, that famous ‘Kung-Fu kick’ forcing him into his very own Napoleonic exile, saw Cantona end his season in January yet still manage to finish as United’s second-top goalscorer, only one goal behind Andrei Kanchelskis. That’s how important he was, and United slumped to losing the title to Blackburn Rovers on the final day.

His exile looked as though it would signal the end of his greatness. A loss of form and a loss of match fitness is almost inevitable after eight months in the wilderness. But his comeback season saw United win back the Premier League title and lift the FA Cup, too.

Cantona started his final campaign, the 1996/97 season, in a reasonable vein of form. Four goals in United’s first six matches was a respectable return for a team who were unbeaten in those six games, but had only won two of them.

But late October saw things take a turn for the worse – United lost three games on the spin, a 5-0 defeat to Newcastle United spelled the beginning of a horror Halloween, and left Sir Alex Ferguson’s side with ground to make up.

Going into a game against Sunderland in December, the Red Devils were sitting in sixth place, and nine points behind the league leaders, Liverpool. Cantona hadn’t scored a league goal in 11 games – over three months of football.

But then Cantona, the catalyst as always, starred in a 5-0 victory. He had already scored, but with his side 4-0 up with 11 minutes to play, the Frenchman picked the ball up just past the halfway line, but with his back to goal. To say there was no danger would be an understatement: but when Cantona had the ball, there was always danger.

Two Sunderland players were turned with ease before a driving run into the the heart of the Black Cats’ half meant there certainly was danger now.

A quick one-two with Brian McClair took another three defenders out of the game and Cantona only needed one more touch. Not a touch to set himself for a shot, not a touch to smash it into the top corner, just one touch to deftly lob the ball over the goalkeeper and into the goal.

But this was Cantona. It wasn’t just about the goal. It was about the theatre.

The goal was entertaining. It was beyond entertaining. But it couldn’t have happened if it weren’t for the lethargic form, the trials and travails of the tortured genius. It couldn’t have happened without the doubters and without the precarious league position. And it couldn’t have happened without a celebration.

With the look of a boxer who had just landed an unexpected knockout blow, unsure of the true greatness of his own power, Cantona slowly surveyed the landscape with a scowl before proudly raising his arms into the air. It finally dawned on him what he’d done. It dawned on everyone. And United went on to win the league.

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With the arrival of the Premier League, the theatre became as important as the sport. The great sporting moment was no longer enough. Combined with a great theatrical moment, the sporting became the iconic. And no one could create the iconic better than Cantona.

But the irony is palpable.

It may be exaggeration to pronounce Cantona the man who made the Premier League into the global behemoth it is today, but he certainly was the first great global component part.

And yet that was to be Cantona’s final season as a professional footballer. Caused by the pain of his suspension, the media pressures, a Champions League semi-final defeat to Borussia Dortmund, the growing globalisation and commercialisation of the game, his inability to cope with his troubled genius or just the very fact he was Cantona. Who knows. Maybe it was one or all of those things. But, like the end of the career of a rock star or a poet, he retired at the age of 30, brought down by the very monster he created.

From the iconic to the ironic. The beautiful and the damned. That’s Cantona.