What the papers said about . . . Eric Cantona

"The seagulls can carry on chasing the trawler hoping for sardines to be thrown into the sea, but the big fish of European football can forget about Eric Cantona." Guardian

"Here oui go again." Sun

"I suppose we should turn a blind eye to the fact that Eric Cantona has earned himself a £10,000-a-week rise by kung-fu kicking his way into court and costing Manchester United the title. Out of shame and scandal has come profit. It is quite obvious that Alex Ferguson cannot contemplate selecting a United side from October onwards without his flamboyant Frenchman." Mirror

"Sardine on toast." Star

"Cantona has skill that lifts fans from their seats - that has never been in doubt - but it is the darker side of the Frenchman's nature that will be on

trial every time he pulls on a United jersey." Telegraph

"Ooh, what a coup for Fergie as Cantona stays. Aah, but Eric ought to have got the hell out of here." Today

"As Cantona might say, it will be the day when the seagulls finally catch the sardine." Independent

"He is staying for life - swung over by the deeply held allegiance to United, the love of his adopted city and the mutual admiration of the terrace legions who roll out the ooh-aah mantras all year long. For Cantona that complex equation of emotions has filled his mind since the night of shame at Palace, when even Eric went over the top like never before." Sun

"The maturity with which player and club deal with what promises to be a series of unpleasant situations, inevitably accompanied by media hype, will be a measure of how much both have learned from the events of the past three months. Rarely will there have been such a need for French without tears." Guardian