Teddy Sheringham has backed up Gary Neville’s claims that Man United were right not to appoint Antonio Conte as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s successor, but believes PSG boss Mauricio Pochettino is the ‘perfect’ fit for the club.
Conte was linked with the Old Trafford hotseat before the Norwegian was sacked in November but had already taken the Tottenham job before the vacancy at United became available.
After United’s 5-0 defeat by Liverpool in October, Gary Neville claimed the Italian would not be the ‘right fit’ for United, an opinion plenty have disagreed with over the past few months.
Mauricio Pochettino (R) is the ‘perfect fit’ for Man United, not Antonio Conte, says Teddy Sheringham
Conte was linked with the Old Trafford hotseat before Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked
But the right-back’s former United and England team-mate Sheringham told Sportsmail at a Bookmakers.com event Conte was conversely the sort of manager Tottenham need, while wanting to reserve judgement on incoming United boss Erik ten Hag.
‘He is the perfect fit for Tottenham,’ Sheringham said. ‘The fans love him, you could see the way they are singing his name the other night [in the 1-0 win against Burnley]. I hope he sees it that way.
‘The discipline, 100 per cent commitment he shows Tottenham, the desire in his make-up, everything is exactly what the Spurs players need at the moment.
‘I don’t think he would have been that is what Man United need at the moment, I feel they needed someone like Pochettino, who takes the game to the opposition like Pep Guardiola. I thought he would have been absolutely perfect for Man United.
Gary Neville claimed in October Conte was not the ‘right fit’ for the Old Trafford hotseat
And Sheringham seemed to agree, insisting Conte is the ‘perfect fit’ for the north London club
‘Just because you are a good manager does not mean you are going to be the perfect fit for a particular club.’
Conte looks to have managed to get Spurs back in the Champions League following their victories in the north London derby and Burnley and Arsenal’s successive losses.
But the club have yet to end their trophy drought stretching back to 2008 and after Man City’s capture of Erling Haaland, Harry Kane’s future does not seem to lie at the Etihad Stadium.
But asked if Kane and Son Heung-min had missed their chance of playing at the very top level, Sheringham said: ‘No. If they had made the noise they wanted to go to a big club, I think lots of the big clubs in the world would want Kane or Son to be in their line-up.
‘They obviously see the club is going in the right direction, so why would you not want to be part of it?’
Sheringham also stated Harry Kane and Son Heung-min have not missed their chance to go to a bigger club
Meanwhile, former Tottenham captain Ledley King praised centre-backs Eric Dier and Cristian Romero, insisting he would be surprised if the former does not make it back into Gareth Southgate’s England squad ahead of the World Cup, while comparing the latter to ex-Atletico Madrid defender Diego Godin.
‘I said many years ago, him [Dier] playing in midfield would help him to become a better defender one day,’ King said. ‘Last season was the first season he committed to playing centre-back on a regular basis.
‘He found it difficult at times with all the chopping and changing of the team but this season he has been fantastic and as good as any other English centre-back in the Premier League for sure.
Ledley King praised the performances of Eric Dier (left) and Cristian Romero (centre)
‘It is great to see him doing so well. He has got good leadership qualities and the vocal presence in the team. He has been an important player for Gareth over the years as well, so I’d be surprised not to see him back in the squad.’
On Romero, King added: ”He has taken to the Premier League with ease. He has got rare combinations of being so aggressive, on the front foot and trying to win the ball, but with the ball he is very calm and relaxed.
‘He is a natural continental defender in terms of his style. He really gets tight to people and doesn’t let them turn. I have seen some South Americans defend like that in the past, like [Roberto] Ayala, even Diego Godin, aggressive, front-foot defenders.
‘That is more the way the South Americans like to defend and he has been fantastic.’
The former Spurs captain compared the Argentine to ex-Atletico Madrid star Diego Godin
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