Ruddock feared Man Utd legend Cantona would ‘kill him’ in first game back from kung fu kick ban after winding him up

NEIL ‘RAZOR’ RUDDOCK was worried Eric Cantona was going to ‘kill him’ in his comeback game after being banned for the infamous ‘kung fu kick’.

The Frenchman received a nine-month suspension in 1995 after launching into the crowd to kick a Crystal Palace fan in the face having just been sent off.

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Cantona was known for his volatile temper as a player[/caption]

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Ruddock chose to wind Cantona up in his first game back after the kung fu kick ban[/caption]

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The pair faced each other in a clash in October 1995[/caption]

His comeback match then came for Man Utd against a Liverpool side featuring Ruddock in October ’95.

And the defender has now revealed how he wound him up during the game.

Speaking on the All to Play For podcast, he said: “He used to wear his collar up – I used to put it down.

“I carried on, and he said, ‘I’ll fight you in the tunnel’, I went ‘yeah of course you will you n**’.

“He was going to kill me after. Robbie Fowler scored and I was going ‘1-0’. It was his first game back after his Kung-Fu kick.”

He went on: “I’ve got to get into his head [Cantona’s], like Di-Canio, and then all he’ll want to do is fight me.

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“So I’ve turned his collar down and he wants to fight me. I was doing it at goal kicks, Schmeichel was kicking it and I was doing it and getting out of his way.

“So the ball’s dead, and I’ve done it. He’s swung for me, and as I’ve turned round he’s toe-punted me…. I do it again, and do it again.”

The match ended 2-2 as a 70th minute penalty from Cantona rescued a point for Sir Alex Ferguson‘s side.

And Ruddock explained how after the match things nearly came to blows in the tunnel… before Liverpool keeper David James stepped in.

He said: “So I’m striding to the half-way line and he’s saying, ‘come on fat boy’, and I get to the half-way line, and I’m getting out of my head thinking, ‘f**k me, he is big’.

“David James ripped his gloves off, and Cantona went and legged it up the tunnel.”

Cantona enjoyed a sensational spell at Old Trafford between 1992 and 1997, arriving from Leeds for £1.6million.

He would go on to score 82 goals in 185 appearances for the Red Devils, winning four Premier League titles and two FA Cups in the process.