St Etienne Manager: Zlatan Ibrahimovic Reminds Me Of Eric Cantona
Reuters / John Sibley
Saint Etienne boss Christophe Galtier has revealed that current Manchester United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic reminds him of Reds’ legend Eric Cantona.
Galtier’s men are all set to take on Manchester United this Thursday, as the two teams meet for a feisty Round of 32 clash in the UEFA Europa League. And the Ligue 1 outfit’s boss thinks Manchester United – the club he believes to be the biggest on the planet – will look to conclusively end the tie in the first leg itself.
Speaking to The Telegraph ahead of the tie, Galtier stated: “For me, Manchester United is the biggest club in the world. It’s like a mountain. Mont Blanc. Himalayas. Big, big gap between Manchester and us. But I have my plan. Our objective is to still have hope for the game here [the second leg].
“They will want to make the difference in the first game. They will want to finish it. I watch many games. It was difficult for them at the beginning of the season but now they are a strong team, a strong team physically as well, big, with a big organisation. As always with Mourinho. And Ibra is Ibra.”
The 50-year-old manager then went on to passionately speak about Zlatan Ibrahimovic in detail, revealing how the Swede reminded him of his close friend and former teammate, Eric Cantona.
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“He’s a good guy,” Galtier added. “As with Jose Mourinho he is different from the image. He has a big, big, big, big, massive personality. But every time I met him there was mutual respect. We played a lot against PSG and in the beginning we won but after Ibra arrived – it was blah, blah, blah … goal, goal, goal.
“I love those kind of players. They are strong. Very strong. When I look at Ibra I think of Eric Cantona. Big personality. He can get mad in one second, say big things, and then, ‘OK, I said it.’ But, above all, an incredible player. And he scores. Goals, goals, goals. Lots of people said he would find it difficult in England but, already, 20 goals.
“He is a great professional. He sets an example. I think that’s why they brought him to Manchester. Like Cantona. I have some friends in Paris and they told me all the time: ‘If you give the ball here rather than there he will kill you.’”