Teddy Sheringham criticises Man Utd for missing out on two ‘top players’ | Football
Teddy Sheringham has criticised Manchester United for missing out on transfer deals for Harry Kane and Declan Rice and says the club must get back to signing ‘top players’ who ‘lead by example’.
United have spent in excess of £1.6 billion on new recruits in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era but the club have had little to show for it when it comes to major silverware.
Under Erik ten Hag alone, the Red Devils splashed out in the region of £600m, with the likes of Antony, Mason Mount, Casemiro and Andre Onana all struggling to live up to their hefty price tags at Old Trafford.
United have taken a far more cautious approach this January, seemingly learning from their mistakes of recent windows and telling Ruben Amorim he must get the best out of the squad he inherited from Ten Hag.
However, the club continue to be linked with high-profile players around Europe, with left wing-back and attack believed to be priorities for INEOS going forward in the transfer market.
Addressing United’s recent recruitment with Joe Cole and Ashley Cole the Football’s Greatest podcast, Sheringham made his feelings clear, suggesting his former side had lost their way since Ferguson’s departure in 2013.
‘I’m positive about Amorim, I like the way he’s come in and conducted himself,’ the 1999 treble hero said.
‘I obviously liked his teams and the way they played, when they turned over Manchester City and the passion they showed in the game. He gets his teams playing with a tenacity and an enthusiasm which is very, very important.
‘I’m optimistic that they’ve got the right man but they’ve got a long way to go and he’s got to get some top players in the club, for me, without a doubt.
‘They’ve spent so much money on good players and good players are good, but when you’re talking about Manchester United, you need top players.
‘Over the last two years, Harry Kane and Declan Rice both became available. Top players, lead by example, proven players week in, week out, great progressional players and they were nowhere near signing them.
‘They let Harry go to Bayern Munich, they weren’t in the frame to get Arsenal away from signing Declan Rice.
‘When those top players became available in Sir Alex Ferguson’s years, he went out and bought them… Gary Pallister, Roy Keane, Paul Ince, Wayne Rooney, he went out and got these top players.
‘He said, “You’re coming to play for me now, you ain’t going anywhere else in the country, you’re coming to play for Manchester United because you’re one of the best”, but it’s not happening now.
‘They’ve got to get back on that road of signing top players who lead by example.
Despite United’s drastic decline since Ferguson’s departure in 2013, Sheringham is confident the club can still a ‘big draw’ if they get themselves ‘back on the right path.
He added: ‘I think the name still holds the weight. I think the manager needs to do something to get them to the next stage.
‘Manchester United is still the club around the world that people look out for. I reckon a lot of people look at that fixture list and look at when they’re going to Old Trafford and when are Manchester United coming to town.
‘It’s still a big draw but they’ve fallen so far down the pecking order that they need to restructure and get back on the right path.’