Eric: My Best Is Yet To Come
Reds midfielder Eric Djemba-Djemba says United fans are yet to see his best form.
The Cameroon international has made 15 appearances this season - only seven of which are starts - since joining United from Nantes for £3.5m in July last summer.
Djemba-Djemba has shown some promising signs this season - his forceful, athletic approach to to game is a clear sign that the manager sees in Eric a player of the Claude Makelele and Patrick Vieira generation of midfielders.
It says a lot that his departure from United´s draw with Porto at Old Trafford due to a rib injury deprived the Reds of real bite and control in the midfield.
Although still rough around the edges, Eric´s bit-part season - partly down to his involvement with the Cameroon African Cup of Nations and Olympic squads - is all part of the long-term plan.
" I play hard. I play to win and, like Roy Keane, I hate to lose. I´ll do everything to avoid losing."
Eric Djemba-Djemba
" I´ve only played in 15 games so far, but Sir Alex is a great manager and man-manager," Eric told United Review. " He explained it was going to be a fragmented year for me with my international commitments. So, I expected it to be a stop-start year.
" I view this year as my trampoline year - to propel myself into my Manchester United career, and I feel I´ve learnt a lot.
" I think English football suits my style. I´m a mentally tough player. I play hard, I play to win and, like Roy Keane, I hate to lose. I also like the personal battles and duels in a match. I´ll do everything to avoid losing.
" Sure, I´d have liked to play more, but hopefully that will only be good for next year and the years after that. I´ve been trying to eliminate any little mistakes and feel I´m really getting a grip on that.
" Maybe I was guilty of giving the ball away when I first arrived - I feel I´ve started to eradicate any errors I had. I think once I get a chance to play more regularly that´s when you´ll start to see the real me."
Sir Alex said on the day Djemba-Djemba signed for United: " Eric looks like a Manchester United player in every sense."
For the player who is still referred to as " Canto" by his international team-mates - his love of United and Cantona saw Eric wear the United No.7 shirt, collar turned up - scoring against Panathinaikos in a 5-0 win at Old Trafford earlier this season was the realisation of a childhood dream.
Named as his best moment since signing for United, Eric said: " Scoring at Old Trafford in front of 67,000 fans against Panathinaikos wearing the red shirt of Manchester United was a dream come true."
Report by Ben Hibbs.
=>Trés bon lors de ses derniéres apparitions Djemba 