Teddy Sheringham Exclusive Interview with BestBettingSites.co.uk

The vibes are pretty dour ahead of the World Cup – it seems all the excitement has been replaced with worry from the fanbase. It’s all a bit tetchy. Does that concern you – will that outside noise affect the players?

I remember going into Euro ’96 and things weren’t so optimistic then, but things can escalate very quickly with a couple of good performances. That’s exactly what happened — Switzerland was okay, Scotland was a great result, and then beating the Dutch, and things escalated very quickly from there.

Should Tuchel listen to the pundits and patriots and bin Ben White for his final World Cup squad?

I quite like the way Tuchel manages. I think he’s very much his own man. I’ve met him once and I really liked his manner — quite assured.

You have to be very single-minded as a manager, especially as an international manager. You’re probably getting so many different people, different angles, telling you what’s best. But I like his single-mindedness.

Is there a player – maybe Trent – who you think deserves an opportunity under Tuchel that perhaps hasn’t been given it?

Probably Morgan Gibbs-White. He has something — he’s a little bit different to the other number 10s vying for a place.

I know he’s been picked in squads but hasn’t really had a chance to shine yet. It’s probably too late now for him.

If he grew in confidence and realised how good he was, you’d have a real player on your hands. He’s got that desire and he scores goals — he gets forward, he’s always on the end of things, looking to score.

That’s what the number 10 role is all about. You can’t just be a supplier like a lot of them — you need to score your goals as well. It’s a very important role, especially when you’re relying so much on Harry Kane to score — you need others to step up.

Has Michael Carrick done enough to keep the United job?

Yes, without a doubt. I think it’s been phenomenal.

For me, he’s done an unbelievable job to turn things around so quickly. I like his manner as a manager — very composed.

You can be composed when things are going well — like Slot last year — but when results turn, that gets tested. But I like Carrick’s composure and the way he leads himself and leads Manchester United.

I think he’s perfect for the role. I would love to see him offered the job on a full-time basis, ideally before the end of the season so United can go into the summer with total clarity. There’s been a few too many summers at the club where the manager’s future is in doubt and we’ve seen the negative effect that can have on the place. It creates too much uncertainty for the players that are in the building and the players the club wants to sign.

If not Michael Carrick, who would you want as the next manager at Old Trafford?

No — Michael Carrick, for me. Like I said, he’s done an unbelievable job to turn things around so quickly. He’s got the backing of the players and he understands what the standards are at a club like Manchester United.

He hasn’t tried to reinvent the wheel. He’s kept things simple, put his best players in the team and reverted to a brand of football that the players understand fully.

There shouldn’t be anyone else in the conversation for the United role based on what Michael has achieved since he walked through the door.

Do United have a decision to make on Bruno this summer? He turns 32 soon and this is likely to be the last chance for United to bring in a huge fee for him. What would your message to Jim Ratcliffe be on his United future?

I think he’s been phenomenal, but I still don’t think he’s captain material. I think he’d be better if he wasn’t captain. His performances over the last three years have been unbelievable, leading by example — and I know that’s what captains do — but he’s probably a little bit too much of a flair player to be captain in my opinion.

There have been flair players who’ve been captains in great teams, but I prefer consistent central midfielders or centre-halves as captains, and then just let the flair players do their thing – don’t give them the responsibility to run the team as well.

It’d be interesting. If you get good money for him, you could maybe buy two players coming into their prime.

I don’t know what they’d get for Fernandes, but if you could get Anderson and half of Gibbs-White, you’d probably take that.

How much of a statement of intent would it be if United went and broke the bank for Cole Palmer in the summer?

I think United would only go and break the bank for a player like Cole Palmer if they sold Bruno Fernandes.

You could play with both of them if you had a really good central midfielder behind them and slightly changed your system. But the more top-quality players you can get into your squad, the better for a team like Manchester United.

We had a lot of good players in my time that the manager rotated and kept happy — happy enough — to make the team a force.

You have to look at the injuries Cole Palmer has had this season, which isn’t ideal. When you’re looking at top players for Manchester United, you want them to be ever-present, week in, week out.

It’s becoming a bit of a problem — I think he’s had a toe problem and a groin problem, little niggles at a very early age.

You can’t get used to that as a professional. You need to get out of that mode and be playing 45 games a season — hopefully 60 — because that’s the level Manchester United should be looking at: when you’re hitting those numbers as a player, you’re running deep in all the competitions.

For United to challenge for the biggest prizes, they need consistent leaders on the pitch.

When Man Utd blew their title run against Arsenal in 1998

My first season — we didn’t have the biggest squad, but we were 12 points clear and flying.

Then in quick succession we lost four big players: Peter Schmeichel (back), Ryan Giggs (hamstring), Roy Keane (knee), Gary Pallister (back). That hit us badly.

We played Arsenal in the league and Monaco in the Champions League, lost momentum, and ended up losing the title. We were the best team in the country at that point, but with only a 16–17 man squad, losing four key players was too much. Arsenal took advantage.

That was the only real period at United — maybe 6–8 games — where it really hurt us.

When we were pushing on towards Champions League level, going out to Monaco was a big blow. It wasn’t expected, even though they were a decent side.

With the injuries we had, it was a big ask. If you look at the team we put out that night, it was always going to be difficult.

That was the point where it felt like something had shifted — we weren’t as fluent as we had been.

Would you give Harry Maguire a new contract?

Yep. I’ve always liked Harry Maguire.

I think he’s been hung out to dry. I said three years ago, when everyone was castigating him — if you get your work done as a back four, he understands how to keep the unit in place.

That’s how you defend as a back four, not individually. When you’re left individually, you come unstuck — and Harry had been coming unstuck, but through no fault of his own, the way I see it.

I’d be offering him fresh terms, certainly. Maybe he has to take a pay cut, but I’ve always rated him and think he’s a top defender.

Is there any way back for Rashford under a new manager? Would you bring him back in, or is it best for all parties that he moves on in the summer?

I don’t think it’s about the managers — it’s more about what Marcus wants to do.

He’s gone over to Barcelona and, for me, he’s got an unbelievable move — didn’t deserve it — but he’s gone there and changed his mentality. It seems like Barcelona want to sign him, so if they do, they probably will.

That would make it quite clear he doesn’t want to come back to United, so he’ll probably end up getting what he wants.

I’ve not seen so much Spanish football, but when he came to Newcastle earlier in the season, in the group stage, he set the place alight. He scored a rocket — he got two that night — and had a really good impact.

He’s done very well there, and if they want to sign him, he’s obviously doing very well for them and their hierarchy, so that’s probably where he’ll end up.

Has Sesko convinced you that he is United quality?

Yep. He’s had his little spell of learning what the Premier League is all about and leading the line for Manchester United.

For a young man to come in and do as well as he has — it took him a little while — but he deserves to be leading the line.

Come next season, another pre-season under his belt, feeling assured and confident, I expect much bigger and better things from him again.

What would hurt more, seeing Arsenal win the title or one of Tottenham, West Ham or Forest getting relegated?

If Tottenham went down, that would obviously be bad for the club.

If West Ham went down, it’s not the end of the world — they’ve been used to that, up and down, albeit not for a while — so it wouldn’t be such a shock, although it wouldn’t be great.

If Arsenal won the league, it wouldn’t make my weekend very happy. If they lost the league and the Champions League, that would be funny (laughs).

Ask me again at the end of the season and how it all ends, because they’d have to really implode for Arteta not to win anything. That would be hilarious (if it happened).

I’m over in Portugal at the moment and I’m a Sporting Lisbon fan this week — a lot of people here are talking about going to the game. It’s a massive game for Arsenal, especially after the last couple of results.

Do you think this is Pep Guardiola’s last season at Manchester City? When he does decide to leave, will he be seen as having the same legendary status as Sir Alex?

No, I don’t think so — I hope not. I hope he’s got more to offer the Premier League.

For what he’s been accumulating over the last six to ten months, with the summer and January transfer windows, I think he’s planning for a couple more years.

The way they’re playing now, it seems to be coming good, so I reckon he’ll want to stay and see that out.

The two are very similar, Pep and Sir Alex. Pep is an absolute legend.

I love the way Pep carries himself — his desire, his enthusiasm all these years later. He’s a phenomenal manager and the way he gets his teams playing.

A lot of clubs try to copy him but get it wrong, which shows how good he is. He’s always trying to improve Manchester City and take them to the next level every year.

That’s what Fergie did as well.

Is Marc Cucurella’s outburst and Enzo Fernandez casting doubt on his own future a sign that Chelsea players are not respecting the club?

I think that’s always going to be the case. I think the players at Chelsea understand that they’re not joining a finishing school, and that’s dangerous when things aren’t going well. Players can get impatient and have their heads turned.

When you buy so many young players, you’re going to be a feeder club. You’re not buying the finished article — you’re buying someone who might come to fruition one day.

If you can keep hold of those players, great. But if you buy someone for £50 million and get offered £90 million, that’s how business works. In all walks of life, you want to buy low and sell big.

That’s not ideal for Chelsea Football Club, I understand that, but it’s business. If that’s where they are at the moment, then so be it — but the Chelsea fans won’t be happy with that.

How would Fergie have dealt with an outburst like that from Fernandez?

Fergie would have come down on Fernandez and Cucurella like a ton of bricks. If you told him you wanted out, or told the press that you wanted to be leaving in the summer to go anywhere else, he would make you very, very aware about the privileges of playing for a football club like Manchester United. You’d not be saying anything like that again too soon!

Is Liam Rosenior cut out for Premier League management – has some of the criticism and mockery been over the top?

I know Liam — we did our coaching badges together in Belfast — and I really like him. He’s a nice fella.

It might have come a little bit early for him to get this job, but when you’re offered it, you can’t turn it down — you might never get it again.

For a young English manager, it’s a tough job. Any other Chelsea manager might have been sacked by now after some of the recent results — that’s how it’s been over the last 10 years.

When you look at Ancelotti or Di Matteo getting the sack after better results, you know how it works there.

He’ll understand he’s teetering on a knife edge. The semi-final is a big game for him.

If he can come up with something special to win that tie and get to the FA Cup final, that has a big bearing. If he loses again, it’s another test he hasn’t passed.

He’s had semi-finals before — like against Arsenal — and didn’t really put them under pressure, went out with a whimper.

So this is a big test for him to keep his job.

Can you ever see Chelsea being a top contender again under the current ownership?

In a top football team, you have to have a balance of everything.

I know Alan Hansen said “you don’t win anything with kids” all those years ago, but there was a lot of experience in that Manchester United team as well.

Chelsea seem to be relying on everyone being young. Off the top of your head, who’s the most experienced player in that team? They’re all very young.

And that doesn’t count — you need someone on the pitch with experience. Even if you’re saying 28, that’s not old enough for me to be an experienced player.

If that’s the oldest player that springs to mind, you need more. You need experience on the pitch to handle situations.

The ideal situation is not to have lots of young legs running around all over the place. You need someone to calm it down at times, or have a word in someone’s ear — someone with stature that people listen to.

Like a John Terry, like a Tony Adams, like a Roy Keane — players who understand the game. It’s not all about chasing around all the time. It’s about calming things down and killing a game at times.

Those players you’re mentioning — they’re still young men, still learning their trade. They should be just coming into their prime. That’s not experience — that’s just older than the others.

Eddie Howe’s Newcastle future is apparently under serious consideration. Would the club hierarchy be making a big mistake if they gave him the heave-ho in the summer?

I really like Eddie; I wouldn’t sack him. I think he’s building something there. Winning something recently for the club for the first time in about a million years was brilliant. He has the respect and the support of the majority of the supporters. There’s always going to be unrest and you can’t please everybody, but I think the majority are still with him and he deserves to carry on.

It would be a massive risk for the club hierarchy to make that kind of call in the summer. He’s got a lot of affection in that part of the world for winning that Carabao Cup. It would be a huge gamble.

Who are you tipping to go down out of West Ham, Tottenham and Nottingham Forest?

I have to say Leeds! They’re all my former clubs, so I don’t want to see any of them go down. I’ve still got a soft spot for all of them.

Obviously Tottenham and West Ham are the ones I’d want to stay up, so if you’re pushing me, I’d say Forest — but I still think Leeds have as good a chance as all of them.

They’re all very similar. I wouldn’t want to put my house on any of them staying up.

At this stage, it’s all about scoring goals. Who’s got the potential to score more? At the moment, none of them are convincing in that respect.

With seven games to go, you probably need nine points. To do that, you might need nine or ten goals.

Are you going to get that from any of those teams? I don’t think so.

So whoever can’t score, or keeps missing chances when they come, is going to come unstuck.

Is Roberto De Zerbi the right man to keep Spurs up?

I like him, first of all. I like him as a manager, if I’m perfectly honest.

I don’t know whether he’s the right fit for Tottenham. He’s very outspoken, very Latin temperament, quite narky at times. Says how he feels, says what he demands from people.

I don’t know whether that’s the right sort of person in charge in the long run, but I’m excited by what he gives you.

Pep Guardiola spoke very highly of him a couple of years ago. I remember him going to Arsenal with Brighton and taking them on — playing one against one all over the park and pressing everybody in midfield. It was like, wow, I like that. And it worked on the day.

So he’s obviously a coach who knows what he wants and knows how to get it. I’m game to go along for the ride with him.

I quite like that he’s a bit fiery, a bit lively — wants to test people and question people above him, to say, this is how you play football, are you coming along for the ride? Rather than asking, is everything okay, am I doing it right? He won’t care. I like that.

So yeah, I’m optimistic for him.

After Frank and Tudor’s struggles, who do you blame for the problems at the club?

I think there are some very good players at Tottenham, so they need to be led. Good footballers still need to be told what to do and how to fit into the system.

Terry Venables always used to say it’s no good telling a group what to do if only three players understand it. You have to explain it so 11 players understand, 14 players, 17 players — so when people come on, they all know what’s required.

It hasn’t looked like that for me.

Under Ange, it did — and I still feel aggrieved for him. He came to the club, said he was going to win something, and he won something. Then at the end of the season he’s out of a job.

He must have been sitting there thinking, what the hell happened? I told them I’d win something in two years, I won something for the first time in God knows how long, and I’ve got the sack.

I didn’t care whether he finished 9th or 17th. When you win something, that’s what matters. People can criticise who he beat, but I don’t care — there were good performances.

Frankfurt were a tough team, and beating Manchester United in the final — they weren’t great, but you still have to win. It’s hard to get over the line.

There have been some unbelievable players over the years who’ve never won anything, because it’s tough.

He got them into the Champions League as well, brought money into the club. Everyone understood what they were doing under him.

I don’t think they did under Thomas Frank. Some performances were quite shocking, which tells you there were problems.

And under Tudor — it wasn’t his fault. He didn’t know the Premier League inside out like you need to. It was a no-win situation. A ludicrous appointment for me.

So De Zerbi’s got a job to make his team understand exactly what he wants very quickly, with games coming thick and fast.

West Ham vs Wolves

A lot of West Ham people have already claimed the three points, but it’s not as easy as that.

You only have to look at Arsenal going to Wolves and not getting the result everyone expected.

Wolves will go there with intent. The manager will want to build on recent performances and prepare for next season, and the players will feel that as well.

So I expect West Ham to win, but not as comfortably as people think.

I’d say 2–1 or 3–2 — a game with a few scary moments where you come away thinking, we were a bit lucky there.

Sunderland vs Tottenham

Tricky.

With Sunderland, you don’t quite know what you’re going to get. They’ve had that typical promoted-team season — very strong early on, then it tails off and they drift down the table.

Their manager needs to get them going again.

That probably suits Tottenham going there. I’d take a draw under the circumstances — that would be a decent starting point for De Zerbi.

If they create enough chances, they could win it, but a draw would be a good result.

Sunderland are 11th. That’s typical of a team that gets promoted, does unbelievably well for the first two thirds of the season, then it peters out and they finish 14th, 15th, and you think it could have been a lot better.

Their manager needs to get back on it and get his team going. That bodes well for Tottenham going up there. I’d still be happy with a draw, under the circumstances. If they create enough chances they might win it, but a draw would be a good starting point for De Zerbi. I’m guessing 1-1.

Forest vs Villa

Still a tough game. I like Unai Emery as a manager — he’s done very well and he’ll get his team competing and battling for every point.

I also like the Forest manager, Pereira. He’s done a great job with what he’s got, and they all understand how they need to play. They look as good a unit as any of the bottom four — they know what they’re doing and look coherent as a team.

At Forest, I think they’ll be hopeful of winning, as long as they can score goals. They’re missing Wood up front and struggling to score. They need someone to step up. They’re solid at the back and in midfield, but they just can’t score at the moment. Forest to win 2-0.

Utd vs Leeds

Big game. Always a lot of friction — I played in it quite a few times. I expect Michael to get his team up and running after the break, and for Man United to get a home win. 3-0 to Man Utd.

Who has been the best player in the PL this season and what has impressed you about them?

Declan Rice is right up there. All the others have had spells, but no one has been as consistent. If you take him out of the Arsenal team, there’s a massive hole — they need him to see out the season. He’s the standout.

Haaland’s had a dip at a critical time — I know he scored a hat-trick the other day, but a month ago he was quiet. Bernardo Silva has stepped up but hasn’t been as consistent.

Rogers has had a good season but also a dip.

Arsenal defensively have been big and strong, but had problems recently. Saka’s had his first dip in form since coming through.

Not many others stand out. Igor Thiago has probably been the most consistent rival, but because he’s not at a big club he won’t be in that conversation.

Who has been the player that you’ve expected more from and hasn’t cut the mustard?

Tottenham as a whole.

You can go through the team — top players doing things where you think they’re not good enough. I don’t want to be too critical because they need confidence for the last seven games, but it’s not good when you’re looking through the whole team like that.

Archie Gray would be the only one you’d say has done well consistently. That’s not good for a big club.

Is there a young PL star that you’re really excited by?

I still like Cole Palmer. I really like his manner, his confidence, and his swagger. He would be the one that excites me; he can score a goal from that number 10 role or maybe a wide right role, coming in off the line to join in and score. I feel that way even though I really like Phil Foden, though I think Foden has gone off the boil a little bit.

Rogers is good. Bellingham is good, but I’m still waiting to be really excited by him.

I don’t think Mainoo is an “exciting” player. I think he’s more like Roy Keane—he does things that are invaluable to the team, but you don’t necessarily come away from the game saying, “Wow, Mainoo, what a great player.”

If you keep doing the right things on the football pitch and keep things ticking over, you get noticed without being noticed. You are doing the right things at the right time, keeping the ball in midfield, and maintaining possession. That is hard to do in central midfield. I keep telling people that you only need one or two touches in midfield. As long as you keep the ball, you’ve done your job.

I’m always telling young players — and top players, even the players when I was managing at Stevenage — you need to keep the ball and keep possession in midfield. Mainoo does that, and that’s why he’s back in the England fold.

Can Liverpool win at Paris Saint-Germain? Does Slot need to progress to stay in his job next season?

Not with their current form. They might be able to find something, but I think they are so low on confidence that they won’t be able to find enough. It’s a tough game; PSG are good.

He’ll get to the end of the season and there will be a big chat about what has gone wrong. He won the league last year, and you have to take your hat off to him for doing that. But you also have to see how far they’ve dropped this year and ask: can he come back? What are the reasons for it?

Alexander Isak’s injury problems have been massive for him. I know Hugo Ekitiké has been good, but I don’t really know why they bought Isak when they had just signed Ekitiké. Ekitiké was so good in the formation they played. I don’t think they were ever going to play together, so I don’t understand the move. Whether that was done above him or not, I don’t know, but it was a strange one at the time. Because Isak is injured, it has added to the woes of what’s happened at Liverpool.

I think there will be a big inquest at the end of the season. The people above will have to work out if he has a reason for it, if he can bounce back, and if he can get the team back to where it was. The noise coming out from Anfield from those who know more is that he’ll probably lose his job.

Does Harry Kane’s form make Bayern Munich favourites against Real Madrid?

I like Bayern Munich’s all-round strength to go through against Real Madrid. Hopefully Harry is fit enough to play; he’s had a little niggle recently. Even having a little niggle and stretching yourself to be fit when you’re not quite right is a big ask in a game like this. He might even miss out.

He might even sit that out to make sure he’s on top form for the return leg. Harry has had his problems over the last couple of years with little niggly injuries which affect him in a big way. He needs to be right to be flying as he has been all season.

Should Jack Grealish be seriously thinking about extending his Everton stay beyond this season?

Jack is a great footballer, but I just feel at times he lacks a bit of concentration. He’s 30? 31 at the start of next season? He needs to get back to his professional football status, get his head down, and get back to where he should be. He’s a top footballer when he’s buzzing, but he needs to get focused again.

It’s about doing things at the right time. Very rarely did I ever do things when I shouldn’t have, but when I could, I did. “Work hard, play hard” was Terry Venables’ old statement, and I lived by that as well. You work hard and you play hard, but obviously at the right times.