Harry’s the best since Shearer...
...but he can learn a lot from United’s experienced Ibrahimovic, says old master Sheringham
NO strikers, not even Diego Costa, Alexis Sanchez or Sergio Aguero, have been in a richer scoring vein than Zlatan Ibrahimovic or Harry Kane in the past few weeks.
Manchester United’s legendary Swedish maestro has scored seven times in his past six matches, the Tottenham talisman nine in nine.
It doesn’t take a genius to work out that today’s big Premier League clash at Old Trafford could depend on which of the gunslingers draws first.
As a former Tottenham and United great, Teddy Sheringham is uniquely qualified to judge both No9s. He regards Kane, who was coveted by United but signed a new contract with Spurs last week, as the best all-round English centre forward since his old Euro 96 partner Alan Shearer.
But to step up to the next level and go down in history as one of the striking greats, Sheringham says the Spurs man has only to look across the pitch this afternoon to realise what’s required.
‘All the top clubs in world football would have been interested in signing Harry Kane,’ says Sheringham, who moved from Spurs to United to replace Eric Cantona in 1997 and will be an avid armchair fan today.
‘He could have gone anywhere for any amount of money but he is obviously loving — and you have to reiterate that — playing for Tottenham under [Mauricio] Pochettino.
‘Harry obviously likes where Tottenham are going at the moment and that’s what it is all about. He has ambitions, he is an England player and wants to play in top matches and big finals. He obviously thinks his club are going in the right direction for that.’
The Premier League is currently blessed with stand-out strikers. While Costa, Sanchez and Aguero are at what you would consider their peak ages, Sheringham considers 23-year-old Kane and Ibrahimovic, 35, worthy of standing alongside them even though they are at opposite ends of their careers.
‘All those players are very different centre-forwards. For me, Harry is the epitome of an English centreforward. He has a little bit of everything, which makes him an all-rounder,’ he says.
‘It is not just about scoring goals, he can do the other things, he can set people up, win headers, hold the ball up. But he has a fantastic eye for goal like Shearer did. He sees the target and he wants to shoot.
‘I loved playing with players like that. I knew they weren’t going to pass, and that was OK. The only way I was going to score would be to get a rebound off the goalkeeper or post or bar. So that is where I would run.
‘I knew Shearer would have shots at goal. I knew where I stood and that’s exactly how it is for whoever plays with Harry Kane.
‘Zlatan is the finished article, I reckon, where Harry would like to be in 10 years’ time. He has won major honours all around the world, and knows his game inside out, what he can and can’t do.
‘He doesn’t get himself into positions that are foreign to him, he knows to stay in central areas and where the goal is. Again he is still a top player. If he can keep competing like he has done since he’s first come over here and scoring goals, it makes him a top player for me.’
Sheringham was 31 when Alex Ferguson took him to Old Trafford. Many thought the United manager had made a mistake but two years later the striker had won the Treble, scoring in both the FA Cup and Champions League finals.
His advantage was walking into a top United team, while Ibrahimovic has arrived in a time of transition with a new manager, Jose Mourinho, still trying to work out his best XI.
Given that, the former Barcelona, Inter Milan, AC Milan, Juventus and PSG striker’s contribution has been even more impressive.
‘I think he still deserves to be ranked at the highest level,’ says Sheringham. ‘You have seen in his games he is not waning at all. He might not go on forever, that’s true, but at this moment he is still at the top of his game.
‘You can see by the goals he has scored, 13 already this season, he looks ambitious, he is hungry and there is no way he is turning off in any games. I think that’s great for Manchester United. He is a fantastic man to be a leader at that club. He is what they need.
‘He has played at top clubs around the world. That’s what you need at Manchester United. Jose obviously wanted someone who could hit the ground running, not somebody who needed to learn what it’s like to play for a top club. Zlatan had that in his armoury, he has slipped in there and for me is doing really well.’
There are so many interesting aspects to today’s game. Both clubs sit just outside the top four but Spurs are six points ahead of their rivals. A United defeat would leave Mourinho more likely to qualify for the Champions League via the Europa League rather than the Premier League, a sobering thought in mid-December.
The contrast in styles between Ibrahimovic and Kane is fascinating. Kane is the young buck whose movement doesn’t give defenders a moment’s peace. Ibrahimovic is the wily old fox whose running stats may not look too impressive but he will challenge for the Golden Boot.
Sheringham doesn’t think Kane should change his style but acknowledges that the United player’s refusal to chase lost causes is also clever play.
‘Everybody has their different ideas about how to play football. But listen to the top coaches over the years — Brian Clough, Johan Cruyff — and sometimes the best thing to do is to stand still on the pitch and let everything else go on around you,’ says 51-cap Sheringham, who played for Clough, Ferguson, George Graham and Terry Venables in a 20year career that also included spells with Millwall, Nottingham Forest and West Ham.
‘Harry will obviously learn things along the way and his game will no doubt change over the years but at the moment he is a mobile, robust, hungry centre-forward and while he has that — and while he is learning — he should keep going.
‘Let him off the leash, let him do what he is doing. I am sure he studies other forwards and can look from afar at Zlatan and how he conducts himself. But for me, he also needs to keep doing things instinctively and naturally.
‘Tottenham missed him sorely while he was out with injury because he is the spearhead, the focal point of their team. I went to their Champions League game at Wembley on Wednesday and I thought he led the line very well again.
Sheringham adds: ‘I think Spurs are more flowing than United so they might go up there and nick it.’
The caveat is that both team possess exceptional centre-forwards. And if Ibrahimovic can outshine the young pretender, all bets are off.