DIMITAR Berbatov could dethrone Eric Cantona even before United are out of the Champions League group stages.

If there was one criticism of the Old Trafford 90s legend, and the idol the Reds new Bulgarian has to live up to, it was that the Frenchman rarely transferred his domestic genius onto the European stage for United.

In 16 Euro games in his five-year Old Trafford career Cantona managed just five goals and generally failed to ignite the Reds away from the Premiership and FA Cup.
Inspirational matches in those competitions were ten a penny but whenever his passport came out Cantona was, dare it be said, ordinary.

Berbatov is breathing down King Eric’s neck already in the Champions League scoring stakes.

In just two matches against Aalborg and Celtic he has crept up on Cantona’s total and with four goals he’s already only one behind that meagre haul.

If you can add something to a side that conquered Europe last season then you really do have something going for you.

And it is not just his goals that are eclipsing Eric’s contribution on the European stage but the one touch, close control and vision to unlock even the most desperately packed defending.

There will be more of that to come on the road to Rome and better organised and talented rearguards than Aalborg and Celtic possess but the £30.75m import has served notice that even when the continents finest defensive exponents turn up in the latter stages he has the tools to break them down.

The 27-year-old striker provided the cutting edge that saw the European Champions through a tricky first half against the valiant under-strength Scottish title winners.

Statistically as a Battle of Britain this was akin to a contest between Ricky Hatton and Jimmy Krankie but Gordon Strachan’s side initially made light of the fact they had been on 18 Champions League trips prior to coming south of the border without registering a win.

With both of their normal tall spearhead of Georgios Samaras and Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink out injured and the squat lone figure of Scott McDonald as Celtic’s only attacking body it was tough to see how the Scot’s were ever going to make this a fearsome encounter to justify the so-called intensity of an England versus Scotland clash or even remotely unsettle the Reds.

But for all United’s easy on the eye early movement and passing they were not creating anything and unexpectedly it was Edwin Van der Sar who was the busier goalkeeper saving expertly from both Aiden McGeady and Gary Caldwell.

It had the potential to develop into one of those nights where United could have gone under because of frustration alone. It needed the touch of a locksmith that was Cantona’s domestic forte. Berbatov provided it.

It was an untidy build up to the breakthrough when Nani’s 29th minute corner was eventually nudged goalward by John O’Shea. Berbatov’s finesse as he flicked home was devastating.

The Bulgarian mixes panache and predatory skills and the latter was to the fore again as he nicked his second in the 51st minute. Cristiano Ronaldo’s thunderous free kick was too fierce for keeper Boruc to hold and Berbatov beat Wayne Rooney to snaffle the follow up.

The England hitman was again a driving force for the Reds and having been beaten by his strike colleague to the scraps for the second goal, then leathering a shot that was tipped over before having a goal wrongly ruled out for offside, you somehow knew Rooney wouldn’t leave Old Trafford last night without adding to his extraordinary recent run.

His figures were increased to nine goals in seven matches for club and country when he drilled home in the 76th minute to finish off a swift United move that began with a Van der Sar quick roll out. It also added to the impressive Berbatov-Rooney figures of nine goals in the last four starts for the partnership. Celtic must have been grateful they were on the end of a routine United victory rather than the serious rout it could have been.