Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson admits his glorious era at Old Trafford was kickstarted by the arrival of Eric Cantona.

"Eric came at a very important time," recalled Ferguson. "We were sort of getting there without actually being able to open the door.

"He was the charismatic figure that this club needed - and he had a great belief that United was his destiny.

"When he came on the pitch, he stuck out his chest and the crowd loved him.

"The great thing about Eric was that he made simple passes looked effective.

"He changed everything for us and winning the league for the first time opened the door forever.

"We went on an incredible run after that."