Dimitar Berbatov can be next Eric Cantona, says Sir Alex Ferguson

Sir Alex Ferguson insists Dimitar Berbatov has what it takes to become Eric Cantona and Wayne Rooney all rolled into one superstar.

And Ferguson backs his judgement of his £30million striker with a surprising set of figures, revealing: "Dimitar's stats are incredible.

"He did more running against Middlesbrough last week than any of the front players - including Rooney.

"He did more yards, more than almost all of the players. So Berbatov is getting involved a lot, but where we want him, of course, is in the last third, in the box that is where he can be a real threat."

As he prepares for today's FA Cup clash with Southampton, Berbatov admits that United fans have yet to see his best.

But Ferguson insists that when the best of him does come out, it will be just like watching Cantona.

"Yes, I would say there are similarities," added Sir Alex.

"What's so good about him Berbatov is his weighted pass. I don't think we've had a player with that beautiful, weighted pass since Cantona.

"Eric was good at giving the simple pass. He was brilliant at that and he was also a thinker. Maybe Berbatov's style is the problem, because the stats say other things about him."

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