Manchester United manager Michael Carrick (Picture: Getty)
Teddy Sheringham believes Manchester United could be presented with a ‘big opportunity’ following Manchester City’s guilty verdict and should make an enquiry for Elliot Anderson.
A hearing is set to take place to discuss Man City’s sanctions after an independent commission found them guilty of all charges related to breaches of financial rules.
An independent commission said Manchester City ‘relied on shame agreements to artificially inflate the club’s revenues and reduce its costs’ while disguising secret funding of more than £800m.
Man City, the dominant force in English football over the past decade, continue to deny any wrongdoing and submitted an official appeal on Friday.
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It is difficult to overstate the possible repercussions to the guilty verdict but the future of virtually all of the City squad would be under scrutiny if the club were expulsed from the Premier League, which is believed to be one potential punishment on the table.
Manchester City’s players will naturally be concerned and may already be questioning their futures at the Etihad Stadium, with Sheringham convinced ‘a lot’ could soon become available for transfers.
England midfielder Anderson completed a stunning £116m move to Man City over the summer after substantial interest from local rivals Manchester United.
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Man City and England star Elliot Anderson (Picture: Getty)
The Red Devils pulled out of the race once the staggering fee for Anderson emerged but Sheringham believes his former club could revive their interest following Man City’s guilty verdict.
‘Could Manchester United get a second chance to sign Elliot Anderson? I think there’s going to be a lot of top players available at Manchester City, and Anderson is definitely one of them,’ he told Hajper.
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‘I love him. I can’t believe anyone has question marks over him. He is a fantastic player, and he was brilliant again for England against Spain.
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Ex-Man Utd striker Teddy Sheringham (Picture: Getty)
‘He just has everything for me, but there will be 20 players up for grabs, and if Manchester United can grab any of them, it will enhance them, because United don’t have any top players anymore.
‘Bruno Fernandes is the leading light at United, and you’ve still got a few good players, but you don’t have anyone who is a top player in their position.
‘They’re all at the other clubs, a lot of them are Manchester City players, so there’s a big opportunity on the horizon for United now.’
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Old Trafford legend Ryan Giggs was among those trying to convince Anderson to join Manchester United rather than City.
‘It was literally a few days before he went to the World Cup,’ Giggs said, recalling an encounter with Anderson on a golf course while on holiday.
‘I peppered him. He didn’t know how to take it at first, and then he relaxed a little bit.
‘But for the first four or five holes, we were literally crossing. And at the end of it, he went, “will you just leave me alone… will you just let me play my golf, please? You’re in trouble!”‘
Anderson has enjoyed a bright start to his Man City career, helping Enzo Maresca’s side jump to the top of the Premier League with five straight wins.
Manchester City travel to Liverpool on Sunday afternoon to play their first game since the Premier League guilty verdict.
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