MANCHESTER, England (AP) Manchester United favourite Eric Cantona is returning to Old Trafford no, he's not making a playing comeback or replacing Alex Ferguson as manager.

He's going to help coach the youth team.

Cantona, 35, will work on an unofficial basis for a couple of months.

"Eric wants to get back into the game so we've given him the opportunity to help coach the young players at the start of next season," Ferguson told the club's website yesterday.

`'It's not an appointment, but a casual arrangement to allow Eric to gain some experience of coaching.''

The French midfielder made 185 appearances and scored 81 goals for United from 1992 until his retirement from soccer at the end of the 1996-97 season.

He was voted player of the century by United supporters last season, despite his tempestuous nature both on and off the pitch.

The most famous flare-up was in 1995 in a game against Crystal Palace. Sent off for retaliation, Cantona responded to a heckling fan by jumping into the stands and attacking him. His two-week jail term was later reduced to community service and a fine.

Since retiring, Cantona has acted in films and toured the world playing beach soccer. He will play in a beach soccer tournament in London's Hyde Park on June 22-24.

Dutch national team captain Frank de Boer says he is prepared to take whatever action is necessary to prove his innocence after his B-sample confirmed a positive test for the banned anabolic steroid nandrolone.

Barcelona president Joan Gaspart backed the player, who is in his third season at the club, and said he would consider taking legal action against UEFA if De Boer received a ban.

"I am prepared to do everything I can to prove that I have done nothing wrong and I know that in the end I will demonstrate my innocence," De Boer was quoted as saying in an interview with a Barcelona daily paper.

The 31-year-old defender also said he was prepared to consider pursuing the matter in the courts if it was not resolved to his satisfaction.

"Now that we have reached this point it is time to consult my lawyer. He will know how we should now proceed," he said.

"I do not want to be given this tag when I know that I have never taken any drugs and it has never even entered my head to take any."

De Boer tested positive after a UEFA Cup quarter-final against Celta Vigo on March 15. His A-sample produced a result over four times the permitted level. The B-sample results have yet to be announced.