KUALA LUMPUR: "Sir Alex Ferguson should be able to do anything he wants at the club until the day he dies," said former Manchester United striker Eric Cantona, frustrated by Ferguson's reported exit from the club due to cost-cutting.
Cantona slammed the decision, calling it "scandalous" and "disrespectful."
"Sir Alex Ferguson will be my boss forever! And I throw them all in a big bag of s***!" he said in an Instagram post.
His post received over 162,000 likes and nearly 3,000 comments, with many fans supporting his stance.
"Yes Eric (clapping emoji). This is why you're our king," one user, @Vickster182, commented.
"King Eric speaking for the rest of us. This man knows!" added @willis_1992.
Another user, @gosz86_cards, said: "Couldn't agree more... It's a shame what Manchester United has become."
Others mentioned Ferguson's impact, such as bringing back Cristiano Ronaldo, which they felt was one of the club's best recent decisions.
However, not everyone agreed.
User @ryancr96 commented: "I don't know what the fuss is about. He can still do everything he was doing, just without the paycheck. I'm sure he's got plenty of money anyway."
Ferguson, the AFP reported, is said to be leaving his £2 million-a-year ambassador role with Manchester United at the end of the season as part of a cost-cutting exercise.
Ferguson, 82, who won 13 Premier League titles and two Champions League trophies during his 27 years at Old Trafford, will remain a non-executive director of the club's board, though he will step down from his ambassador role at the end of the season, The Athletic reported.
The decision was reportedly made amicably.