Manchester United have launched a plan to win the Premier League title by 2028, with legendary former striker Teddy Sheringham dismissing the bold aim as "pie in the sky"
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Manchester United's plan to win the Premier League title by 2028 has been ridiculed by former striker Teddy Sheringham – who branded it “pie in the sky”.
Sheringham also claimed United boss Ruben Amorim will be sacked if he makes a poor start to the new campaign, after ending last season in 15th place – their lowest-ever Premier League finish. Despite that shambolic season, United chief executive Omar Berrada has doubled down on his belief they will lift the Premier League trophy by 2028.
Berrada launched Project 150, the aim of which is for United to win a 21st league title by 2028, the year the club celebrates its 150th anniversary. But after 18 league defeats last season and the failure to secure European football for only the second time in 35 years, Sheringham accused Berrada of living in dreamland with his title claim.
“Omar Berrada’s comments are dreamlike,” said Sheringham. “In football clubs, you’ve got to have small steps to get to places. If you see those small steps and are encouraged and moving in the right direction, that’s when you start looking positively at the future.
“But when people come out with quotes like that, it can be pie in the sky when you’ve got to give the manager time to get things right. For United, the results must improve. It can’t go on like this. The way the talk is – 'it’s alright, we’re gearing for next year, everything is ok for next season'.
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“But I think they’re a long way off being anything like the United of old and the pressure will be on Amorim, without a doubt. If he starts the season like the end of last season, there's only one way things will go.”
Sheringham, who scored in United's dramatic 2-1 Champions League final win over Bayern Munich in 1999, to clinch the Treble, also said every player should be up for sale – apart from skipper Bruno Fernandes.
“Any player that’s underachieving at United would be surplus to requirements,” said Sheringham. "And there’s not a lot of players at United who are playing at the top of their form, other than Fernandes.
Omar Berrada's plan has been branded 'pie in the sky'
Omar Berrada's plan has been branded 'pie in the sky'
“So I would think that any offers that come in for anyone playing for United would be very welcome, to be able to get players out and to get others in. Sometimes players fall off a cliff, but I can’t see him [Fernandes] doing that, he’s still got the appetite to go out and do better and lead by example.
“But if Fergie had an offer of £100million for one of his 31-year-old players, going on 32, for the business end of the football club, you’d have to think about things like that.”
Sheringham also said he has sympathy for United striker Rasmus Hojlund, who managed just 10 goals last season, claiming the service provided by his team-mates is simply not good enough.
Sheringham scored in United's dramatic Champions League final win in 1999, to clinch the Treble
Sheringham scored in United's dramatic Champions League final win in 1999, to clinch the Treble
“We’ve been speaking about Højilund for a good couple of years now,” said Sheringham. “First and foremost, I still think he’s a decent striker, I just think he’s been starved of service at United.
“The way they play, they play with two out and out wingers, no real support apart from Fernandes getting forward. It’s all about the service for centre-forwards and he’s had none. I struggle to think about any striker that you could put in there, that would suffer from the same service and still score goals.
"You’d have to be some player like Didier Drogba, who did things on his own at times, to score goals. Being a young man as Høljund is and coming into a new country and into the Premier League, trying to understand it, I think he’s had a tough ride.”
*Teddy Sheringham was speaking to Sky Betthe full interview can be found here https://m.skybet.com/football
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