Manchester United legend Teddy Sheringham has been speaking about his old club. The former striker has taken the time to assess two of the Red Devils’ big stars – Midfield duo Bruno Fernandes and Paul Pogba.
Sheringham, now retired, turned out for United for four-years (1997 – 2001), during a hugely successful period which saw the striker lift eight major trophies.
Best known for his last-grasp equaliser during the 1999 Champions League final against Bayern Munich, Sheringham’s goalscoring heroics helped ensure United completed one of the best European comebacks of all-time.
Sheringham’s United career saw the prolific striker feature in 153 matches, in all competitions and rack-up 74 goals.
Although turning out for United during a period of time which saw the Red Devils dominate both domestic and European football, Sheringham, like many others, is all too aware of the struggles his old side are currently enduring.
After failing to lift silverware since the Europa League in 2017, and with no league title since Sir Alex Ferguson’s final season in 2013, current manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be desperate to put an end to his side’s trophy drought.
Speaking in a recent interview with Goal, Sheringham has weighed-in on two of the club’s biggest stars.
The retired striker has labelled Fernandes as one of the club’s greatest ever signings.
“Thankfully for Manchester United, he made a sudden, amazing impact, didn’t he?” Sheringham said. “It doesn’t always happen for players, let alone foreign players who are coming into the Premier League.
“So, for him to hit the ground running, and with a proper speed as well, he’s been a revolution at Manchester United with his assists and his goals record. You’ve got to say that he is out there with the best [players] Manchester United have ever signed.”
It goes without saying, Fernandes rarely becomes the subject of criticism after his opening 12-months in Manchester has seen the Portuguese superstar contribute to 51 goals in 57 appearances.
However, on the other end of the spectrum is Fernandes’ team-mate Pogba. The French World Cup winner who rejoined United in a blockbuster £94.5m move four-years ago, has struggled to justify the huge fee paid for him.
A series of inconsistent performances have seen the 27-year-old slated by the media, pundits and selections of fans and Sheringham feels the criticism may be justified.
“It’s just an up and down situation which you don’t normally get from top players, and he’s obviously a top player,” Sheringham added.
“He’s a quality, talented player, but there is just too many highs and lows for me, and when you are playing for Manchester United, you can’t afford that. If he’s a top player, you don’t get left out of the team.
“You might be for a couple of games, just to kick you up the bum and make sure you’re back on track, but for him to be in and out the team, [it raises] question marks all the time, it can’t be right.
“Now, you have to head to Manchester United and say: ‘I want to be a Manchester United great for as long as I’m here and I’m going to prove that to all those doubters’. It doesn’t seem that he’s got that in his mentality, he’s just saying: ‘I don’t care what you think!'”
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