Former Manchester United striker Teddy Shermingham was part of the great treble-winning side in 1999, so it’s always interesting to hear his take on matters at the club.
One of the best qualities of then-manager Sir Alex Ferguson was his ability to react to a setback — whether it be a loss, the departing of a star player or missing out on the title or a trophy.
Shermingham, who joined United in 1997, would end up empty handed in his first season at Old Trafford. He scored 14 goals in 42 appearances, but United finished a point behind league winners Arsenal.
If the 1997/98 season was one to forget, what was to follow would be beyond belief.
Dwight Yorke’s arrival would pose a problem for Sheringham as the England international found his game time cut. Andy Cole went on to strike a formidable partnership with Yorke, with both players scoring 53 goals between then in all competitions in 1998/99.
Although Shermingham only scored five goals in the whole of that season, two of them contributed to two trophies.
“Ohh Teddy, Teddy, went to Man United and he won the lot!”
However, Sheringham doesn’t sound all that impressed by the current situation at the club, with United sat in fifth place and out of every domestic cup.
The former striker claims that it was “absurd” to appoint Ralf Rangnick as interim manager and thinks it’s another season lost for the Reds.
“When we’re talking about Man United, I think the real problem goes back to Rangnick coming in, another interim manager, it’s just absurd for me,” Shermingham told Genting Casino.
“If he leaves at the end of the season, and then someone completely different, like Pochettino, comes in, it’s a whole new vibe of how you want to play football. This season’s going to be lost. It will be wasted and you have to start again.”
The problem, however, was that none of United’s preferred managerial options were available mid-season. Erik ten Hag has unfinished business at Ajax and Mauricio Pochettino will be aiming to bring European glory to Paris.
Speaking of Pochettino, Sheringham thinks he is the right man to take United forward.
“I think that the Manchester United crowd would love his philosophy in the way that he takes the game to the opposition.”
