LEE SHARPE HAS revealed that Alex Ferguson was more angry about his Manchester United charges’ marking the day that Eric Cantona kung-fu kicked a fan.

Cantona wrote his name into Premier League infamy in 1995 when he flew into the stands to attack a Crystal Palace fan.

The Frenchman suffered a lengthy ban, but returned to help United to the double the following season and retains an iconic status amongst supporters at Old Trafford.

But according to his former team-mate, notoriously short-fused Fergie was surprisingly soft on Cantona — if not with other members of that side.

“The manager comes in and he’s absolutely fuming,” Sharpe said in a speech filmed by Twitter user @Duncanreddevil.

“The door smashes off the back of its hinges. The jacket is off, he’s got the short sleeves rolled up; steam coming out of his ears and frothing at the mouth.

“There are benches in the middle of the room with shirts and balls to be signed. Cups of tea and plates of sandwiches. They’re sent f****** flying everywhere.

We’re getting scalded and getting egg sandwiches down the back of our necks. We look at each other, thinking, ‘F****** hell, Cantona is getting it here!’

“And the he starts, the manager. ‘F****** Pallister, you can’t head anything, you can’t tackle. Incey, where the f*** have you been? Sharpey, my grandmother runs f****** faster than you! … You’re all a f****** disgrace.

“Nine o’clock, tomorrow morning, I’m going to run your f****** balls off in training. F****** shocking. And Eric…. [in a softer tone] you can’t go round doing things like that son’.”

Subscribe to The42 podcasts here:

‘It takes courage to get on the ball and play the way Hoolahan plays’>

Randolph to the rescue and more talking points from Denmark>