DIMITAR BERBATOV would be the closest thing Manchester United have had to Eric Cantona since the brilliant Frenchman retired, according to Gary Pallister.
Sir Alex Ferguson has confirmed United have made a bid for Berbatov and eventually expects the deal to go through, probably costing the Red Devils around £22million.
And Pallister for one could not be more delighted.
"Berbatov reminds me of Er
ic Cantona so much it is almost scary," said the former centre-half. "Maybe he does not have the same barrel-chest but he is similar in every other aspect of his game. He caresses the ball in the same manner, he has the touch, can score goals, bring others into the game and play up front on his own."
Pallister certainly does not see Berbatov having a problem fitting in at Old Trafford.
For him, the Bulgarian is simply made for Old Trafford.
"He is the type of player fans of United love," he said. "There is an arrogance about him, just as Eric had, and you can tell straight away he would fit in. After winning the Premier League and Champions League last season, I am sure Sir Alex Ferguson felt he only needed to tweak his squad a little bit and in buying Berbatov, that is what he would be doing."
United first faced Berbatov seven years ago during his Bayer Leverkusen days and have tackled him at mush closer quarters over the last couple of years since his move to Tottenham.
And Ferguson is sure he can bring an extra dimension to the Red Devils attack.
"We have good expectations this deal will go through," he said. "Berbatov has been impressive for a long time and would be a great addition to our attack. I think time will work for us more than against us. We will not stress and we are hoping to have a constructive conversation with Tottenham in the near future."
United have landed in Cape Town at the start of their three-match tour of South Africa without Owen Hargreaves, although they are confident he will recover from a knee injury in time for the season opener against Newcastle on August 17.
"By the time we come back from South Africa, Owen should be okay," said Ferguson. "We have certainly not written him off for the start of the season. He will have a series of injections in his knee but I am sure he will be fine."
The full article contains 417 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
