Sheringham proves the spur

The England striker is revelling in his task of helping his boyhood idol to resuscitate his former club, writes Jon Brodkin

When Teddy Sheringham was weighing up whether to leave Manchester United last summer, he was told by Steve Bruce to remain at Old Trafford for as long as possible. Ignoring that advice, the striker rejoined Tottenham and tomorrow he will feel more vindicated than ever.

At the Millennium Stadium, Sheringham will lead out Spurs for the League Cup final. With the thrill of captaining his boyhood team to a possible trophy will come the realisation that his medal collection need not lie dormant because he quit Alex Ferguson's squad.

True, United treat the League Cup with such disdain that Sheringham made only one appearance in the competition - at White Hart Lane. But the 35-year-old sounds delighted to be playing a major role in resuscitating a club he left in less than rude health in 1997.

"When I was here before there was a lot of turmoil and people pulling in different directions," he says. "Now there's a Tottenham manager (Glenn Hoddle) who's a Tottenham man and is getting backed in the right way. The crowd love him, the chairman's backing him and the players are playing the football they want to play.

"I see a lot of great players here and that was a big factor in my decision. I wouldn't have left Manchester United to go just anywhere. I spoke to Steve Bruce about leaving because he went to Birmingham and he said: 'Stay at Man United for as long as you can.'

"But he took a massive step from the top of the Premier League to a challenging First Division team. I was going to the next rung of the Premier League. I knew there were quality players here, that the manager was bringing new ones in and would be wanting to play the sort of football I wanted. I'm enjoying myself."

Without Hoddle it is hard to imagine Sheringham would have come. The manager was his idol as a youngster, someone he played under for England and a person he knew shared his vision and love for the club.

If Hoddle's presence and coaching have done much to enliven Spurs, Sheringham has also been crucial. His goals, vision and captaincy make him irreplaceable.

When Sheringham relates how fans and thank him for putting a smile on their faces, he can surely empathise. As a supporter he arrived at White Hart Lane an hour before kick-off to watch Hoddle warm up.

"The club has come a long way from last year," Sheringham says. "We've got smiles on our faces and there are smiles on the supporters' faces. But there's a long way between smiling at certain times and smiling constantly through the season.

"There's a big gap between the top five and the rest. At the moment we are a long way off being able to win the championship, but these sort of occasions help you along the way. It's important we win something to get us on to the next level."

Sheringham sees the game against Blackburn as a chance to further his claims for a place in England's World Cup squad. Contrary to general opinion, he insists he is not guaranteed a trip to Japan and must relish facing his former Old Trafford team-mate Andy Cole, who has recovered from a stomach bug.

It is at United that Sheringham sees a worthy successor to the player of the year awards he holds: Ruud van Nistelrooy is his choice.

"It would have been nice playing with Van Nistelrooy and (Juan Sebastian) Veron," Sheringham says. "But I'm quite pleased with the decision I've made."

Guardian Service