Man Utd's next No.7? Pastore favoured over Griezmann in Cantona's eyes

Manchester United should be looking to make Javier Pastore their next No.7, not Antoine Griezmann, according to Eric Cantona.

The Red Devils spent much of the summer being heavily linked with the Atletico Madrid forward, only to see the Frenchman stay put and commit to fresh terms.

Speculation regarding a possible switch to Old Trafford continues to rumble on, though, with Griezmann having recently conceded that he could make his way to Manchester at some stage.

He would be a welcome and proven addition to Jose Mourinho’s squad – and a man who has expressed a desire to grace a jersey once donned by David Beckham – but a United legend who once wore that shirt himself believes Paris Saint-Germain playmaker Pastore should also be considered.

Pressed by the FullTimeDEVILS on their YouTube channel as to who would be a worthy recipient of an iconic number at the Theatre of Dreams, Cantona said: "I love Pastore.

"He plays for Paris but he doesn't play in the team. They have two great players - Pastore and [Hatem] Ben Arfa and neither of them play.”

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Cantona added on whether Griezmann would be capable of filling a similar deep-lying post: "Yes, why not? But Pastore is very special.

"Pastore will surprise you every time. Every time he touches the ball he surprises you - he gives the ball to someone no-one had seen before. He surprises all the fans.

"I think he is a great player. He played for Argentina, which is a great country - but he doesn't play for Paris, which is a small club."

Pastore has been with PSG since 2011, having become one of the first high-profile signings following the arrival of Qatar Sports Investments.

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He has made 236 appearances for the club, but has seen game time dwindle in recent years.

An influx of other forward-thinking talent has nudged him down the pecking order and out of favour.

PSG now boast the likes of Neymar, Edinson Cavani, Kylian Mbappe, Angel Di Maria, Lucas Moura and Julian Draxler on their books, leading to Pastore taking in just five outings this season.

He has been heavily linked with a move elsewhere, with Liverpool another possible landing spot in the Premier League to have been mooted.