AS he did so often during a tempestuous career, Eric Cantona caught the football world by complete surprise when he decided to end it last week.
Manchester United's multitude of fans and English football at large will have to come to terms with life minus the brooding Gallic genius, who paved the way for the influx of foreign legionnaires who have transformed the English game.
Two weeks ago in this column I said that United's season mirrored that of Cantona, and suggested that there could be no logical transfer of the Frenchman from Old Trafford.
It has emerged in the wake of Cantona's decision to retire from the game that approaches had been made about an extension of his contract, which still had a year to run.
There was apparently no undue haste by the United management to get his name on a new deal, which would have come into operation when Cantona was over 31.
Alex Ferguson is pragmatic and Eric Cantona proud.