Cantona says United must be ‘clever’ in the transfer market (Picture: Getty)

Eric Cantona admits the best players in the world no longer want to join Manchester United, insisting the club must follow Liverpool’s example and be ‘shrewder’ in the transfer market.

United where able to lure Real Madrid star Casemiro to Old Trafford during the recent summer transfer window but the rest of the club’s transfer business, with the exception of free transfer Christian Eriksen, saw them target emerging talents rather than established stars.

United have made impressive progress under Erik ten Hag this season with the club currently sat in fourth place and still competing in all four competitions.

While the Dutchman has designs on restoring the club to its former glory, club legend Cantona concedes that at this moment in time, clubs like Manchester City and Real Madrid will have greater pull than the 13-time Premier League champions.

Until a few years ago, Liverpool found themselves in a similar malaise with the arrival of Jurgen Klopp and a number of key signings transforming their fortunes.

Sadio Mane joined the club from Southampton in 2016 with Mohamed Salah following from Roma a year later, with Cantona insisting United must be ‘clever’ in the transfer market in order to bridge the gap.

‘The best don’t want to go to Man Utd, they want to go to Man City or Real Madrid,’ Cantona told The Times.

Salah and Mane had a transformative effect at Liverpool (Picture: Getty)

‘They have to be more clever, like when [Mohamed] Salah and [Sadio] Mané went to Liverpool. They were not the greatest in the world, but they saw they could play together.’

United have spent over £1billion on players since their last Premier League title triumph in 2013, Sir Alex Ferguson’s last achievement with the club before retirement.

Cantona says previous arrivals at Old Trafford were ‘great players’ who went onto play ‘not as good as they were before’, insisting the current crop must be ready ‘to give your life’ for the club.

‘It’s difficult in England. Look how long Liverpool waited to win — 30 years. At United it was 26, at Leeds, when I was there, 18. You cannot win every time but it’s the way you play, the attitude. That is different,’ Cantona said.

‘You can lose but you have to give your life for a club like Man United. It’s not only about football. Players come to Man Utd and they are great players but when they arrive and play together they are not as good as they were before.

‘It depends on the manager, the atmosphere at the club, the personalities.’

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Cantona says players are more likely to join Real Madrid and Man City.