West Ham’s Gianluca Scamacca hails Eric Cantona: “One of my idols”

West Ham star Gianluca Scamacca has revealed that Manchester United legend Eric Cantona is one of his footballing idols.

Scamacca had joined West Ham from Sassuolo in the summer of 2022 and he has done well for the Hammers, scoring multiple times in the Premier League and in the UEFA Conference League. Before moving to West Ham, the Italian had attracted interest from Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus.

The striker spoke to The Guardian recently and he had some praise for Cantona, stating that he wants to replicate the Frenchman’s playing style and be more imposing on the pitch.

The former Neroverdi star claimed: “He is one of my idols. He was very imposing. A little bit arrogant in his approach. I am still trying to work towards that for myself, trying to be a little more imposing in my physique and more confident in games.”

The 23-year-old has scored two Premier League goals so far, finding the back of the net four times in the Conference League and two of those came in the qualifying stages of the competition. The move to London came about following a very impressive stint at Sassuolo in the Italian top flight.

Kaustubh Pandey | GIFN