Leeds United are a club that could perhaps be accused of living in the past, with many fans keen to reminisce on their better days as they challenged in Europe and for league titles.

They could be forgiven for harking back to those days, especially given their 16-year absence from the Premier League, which Marcelo Bielsa finally rectified.

However, even upon once again re-emerging into the top flight, it has hardly been the romantic return they desired as they once again find themselves entrenched in a battle for survival.

Their first season back aside, it has been a tumultuous few years in which their position in the division often hung by a thread.

In a seemingly never-ending cycle of stress and misery, those good days offer a refreshing memory of what has been, and a glimmer of hope of what could be once more. Some of the talent they boasted back in the late 1990s and early 2000s was unbelievable, and to see them slowly leave one by one was gut-wrenching.

Arguably none more so than the sale of Eric Cantona.

How good was Eric Cantona?

Having been brought in from his homeland, the mercurial forward quickly established himself as someone capable of thriving in England.

His impact in just half a season helped propel the Yorkshire outfit to the title, but the following campaign saw the darker side of having a player like the Frenchman within a squad.

Despite scoring 14 goals and assisting five in just 34 games, the 56-year-old would force a move from Elland Road in acrimonious circumstances. His exit was widely seen as good business, to remove the ‘bad egg’ from the bunch, but selling to Manchester United was a devastating mistake. Especially for just £1m, the reported true figure earned.

Cantona would only take his career to new heights at Old Trafford, where in total he scored a further 81 goals and assisted 62 in just 182 games. He would play an imperative role in the further four Premier Leagues he would win, alongside two FA Cups and five English Super Cups.

In total, the man affectionately dubbed “the King” in Manchester, would win 11 trophies after leaving Leeds.

Even as recently as 2021 was he recognised as a “legend” by the current captain of the Red Devils Harry Maguire.

To further pronounce his greatness, Sir Alex Ferguson even wrote him a heartfelt letter upon his retirement which emphasised Cantona’s importance to their success. One part stated: “For me it is to remind you how good a player you were for Manchester United and how grateful I am for the service you gave me. I will never forget that and hope you won’t either.”

Moving the great Scotsman to such kind words is no small feat, and only serves to exacerbate the huge mistake Leeds made to sell the 45-cap magician, transfer request or not.

His exit may have been inevitable, but it surely didn’t have to be to their arch-rivals.