Cantona still has a lot of fondness for his old club, but he says the noise that comes out of Old Trafford these days is a far cry from years gone by.
“The atmosphere in the stadium is different, unfortunately. I went to Old Trafford last season for the game against Manchester City, and I thought it was quiet. United fans prefer to go to away matches, to be with the real fans, than to be surrounded by people who come from different parts of the world just to go to the merchandise store,” he added.
This is not the first time Cantona has said things have made a turn for the worse at United. He believes the focus on money, the drop-off in success after Sir Alex Ferguson’s era, and the new stadium plans are turning off supporters.
He said earlier this year: “I support United because I really love United, but now if I was a fan and I had to choose a club I don’t think I would choose United. Because I don’t feel close to these kinds of decisions. They have another strategy, another project. Do you feel close to this project? I don’t think so. For me, it is very important to respect these people like you [the fans], respect your manager and your team-mates. I think since Ratcliffe arrived it’s the complete opposite and, this team of directors, they try to destroy everything and they don’t respect anybody. They even want to change the stadium.”