Teddy Sheringham makes huge Roy Keane admission

Teddy Sheringham makes huge Roy Keane admission and identifies biggest change in United legend after Forest move

• "I do think there's another job out there in management for Roy Keane. I'd have actually liked to have seen him in charge at Man United at some stage; I think he just has that aura about him."
• "I knew Roy from my time at Nottingham Forest, before we became teammates at Man United later on down the line. There was definitely a change in him as a player, without a doubt."
• "Fergie [Sir Alex Ferguson] had probably had a chat with him, or maybe he'd worked his own game out himself, and he just thought he'd end up running himself into the ground if he didn't change his game. But he was a phenomenal youngster, and changed his game perfectly to lead Man United."
• [Playing in Sweden] "I wasn't happy, but it was probably the best thing I could've done. Rather than being a flash finisher who thought he knew it all, that loan allowed me to go and work with players who were playing for their livelihood, week-in, week-out, and their win bonuses made a difference at the end of the week."
• "I just felt way behind; I didn't feel part of it in that respect, and so I just thought I needed to learn the language. So that's what I tried to do; for the last three months of my loan."
  

I do think there's another job out there in management for Roy Keane. I'd have actually liked to have seen him in charge at Man United at some stage; I think he just has that aura about him. I don't think you're going to get him out of the position he's in now, though; I think he's found a lovely little niche for himself , what he's doing with Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher. 

I'd be very surprised if he went into management now, especially with his track record of reacting to things when they're not going his way, as a manager. He could very easily be in a job and out of it again in six months, and find himself with nothing. I'd have loved to have seen him in charge of Man United, but I don't think that's going to happen now.

I knew Roy from my time at Nottingham Forest, before we became teammates at Man United later on down the line. There was definitely a change in him as a player, without a doubt. When I was at Forest, he'd only just broken into the first-team when I arrived there, and he was an absolutely phenomenal, up and down, central midfielder. I played up-front with Cloughie [Nigel Clough] and so there wasn't a lot of pace up there at all. And so every time the ball came up to me or Nigel, he'd be running beyond us and giving the centre-halves problems. 

He was such a different player, by the time I got to Man United. He was a sitting midfielder who controlled the game, he didn't go forward half as much as what he used to. Whether he was told to do that, or whether his game had just changed, I don't know. But at Forest, every time the ball came up to me, he'd be running beyond me, whereas at United, that just didn't happen. Fergie [Sir Alex Ferguson] had probably had a chat with him, or maybe he'd worked his own game out himself, and he just thought he'd end up running himself into the ground if he didn't change his game. But he was a phenomenal youngster, and changed his game perfectly to lead Man United. 

George Graham was the manager at Millwall at the time - I'd made my debut and I think I'd played four games or so at the end of that first season, and I thought I should've been in the first-team. I think I made my debut after Christmas, maybe in the Jnauary or February, and then I didn't really feature towards the end of the season, despite thinking I should've been in there. George Graham brought me into the office, and at first I thought he was going to start talking to me about being involved in the first-team, and instead he told me he wanted me to go on loan for six months, to Sweden.  

"What? Well, I don't want to go. I think I should be playing in the first-team."

"Well you're not going to be playing in the first-team. You need to go out and learn your trade, so I want you to go out to Sweden on loan." 

I wasn't happy, but it was probably the best thing I could've done. Rather than being a flash finisher who thought he knew it all, that loan allowed me to go and work with players who were playing for their livelihood, week-in, week-out, and their win bonuses made a difference at the end of the week. It was a big eye-opener, you know, I was playing for money that made a difference, I started scoring goals, and my team - Djurgardens - ended up winning the second division. 

I loved everything about my time out there; it made me grow up. I was living with a couple of Swedish lads, I wasn't relying on my mum. It just made me grow up a lot. I went back to Millwall and felt like I was ready to be in the first-team there. 

I still keep an eye out for Djurgardens; Swedish people will often talk to me about my time with the club. The whole package was a real challenge for me at that stage in my life. You know, living on my own, fending for myself, being in an environment where I had to learn something new. I didn't like learning at school, and only did French and Spanish for five years and three years. But when I was in the changing room at Djurgardens, I couldn't understand all the jokes, and all the banter between the players. So I had people explaining to me what was going on, and what was being said, and by the time I'd understood, they'd moved on to talking about something else. I just felt way behind; I didn't feel part of it in that respect, and so I just thought I needed to learn the language. So that's what I tried to do; for the last three months of my loan, I ended up going to school and ended up learning more Swedish in those three months than I did French and Spanish in the five years when I was at school! That was challenging, but I loved every minute of it, because I could understand what the lads were talking about.

I was playing for money that made a difference, in important games, rather than playing reserve football in England. You know, it was all a learning curve for me; I was missing chances and feeling the crowd groans, so it definitely helped me as a young player, dealing with those experiences. 

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