ManchesterManchester United defender Patrice Evra has thanked former United player Eric Cantona for "opening the door" to French players at Old Trafford, reports football magazine 'Goal'. Cantona became the club's first French player when he made the switch from Leeds in 1992, and became a legend for fans after the five years he spent at United. He arrived in the UK in exile from French football where he had built a fiery reputation with managers as a rebellious player. His career blossomed in English football, where he remains highly regarded as one of the most talented players of the 1990s, despite his lengthy ban in 1995 for attacking a Crystal Palace supporter. Evra told the Manchester United website that he remembers watching Cantona on television in France, and believes the striker paved the way for French players to succeed at Old Trafford. "I already knew Cantona was 'The King', but I really discovered who he was when I arrived here," he said.
