Lee Sharpe Exclusive Interview with BestBettingSites.com
Lee Sharpe is a former professional footballer who made his mark in the Premier League with Manchester United, Leeds United, and Bradford City. Renowned for his exceptional skills as a winger and his contributions to multiple title-winning teams, Sharpe seamlessly transitioned into a successful career in sports media after retiring from playing. Here, our team from best betting sites UK sits down with him to discuss his Premier League experiences, time with top clubs, and perspectives on the modern game – plus discussion of whether Pep has surpassed Sir Alex Ferguson and the shock sacking of Erik ten Hag.
Questions on the Premier League
Will the Premier League title be contested between Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal only?
When you think about the title race, I think it’s hard to look beyond the likes of Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal. Arsenal are five points off it at the moment, but they’re still in there and I will expect them to bridge that gap over the course of the season.
Even though Aston Villa and Chelsea are only a couple of points and places behind Arsenal, I don’t think you could put those clubs in the title race because of concerns about their consistency.
Who is in the hunt for the top four?
Aston Villa are the team that I support, so I would love them to finish fourth again this season. I think they’ve got a great chance of repeating what they did last season with Unai Emery in charge.
Chelsea are a real surprise package. I know they’ve spent an awful lot of money since the new owners went in there, but after what’s been happening at the club and their inconsistency, I don’t think many people tipped them to start the season as well as they have done. They look like they will be competing for that fourth place under Enzo Maresca this season.
Tottenham have been inconsistent. They’ve got the players to beat anyone on their day, but they need to start putting a run of results together to get the confidence back. I think they will come on again and I’m backing them to come strong again.
With Manchester United, it’s really hard to say what could happen. Obviously, Erik ten Hag’s departure may galvanise the club and there is still time for United to have a decent season. We will have to see what happens at Old Trafford, but I think they’re back in the race, and I wouldn’t have said that if ten Hag was still in charge.
Who do you consider the three best wingers in the Premier League?
At this moment in time, you have to say that Bukayo Saka is the best wide man in the Premier League.
His performances are always consistent. He’s Arsenal’s star man week after week. When Arsenal need a player to step up, it’s normally always Saka. He’s reliable. You know exactly what you’re going to get from Saka every time he plays, and you can’t say that about wingers and wide men generally. That’s what I love about him. He always produces the goods.
I’ve also been really impressed with Noni Madueke at Chelsea this season. I like the energy that he brings to the team, and I also like his positivity; he’s always looking to beat his man and make things happen. I enjoy watching him and, when you consider the quality that Chelsea have in the wide areas, you have to give him credit for establishing himself as Enzo Maresca’s first choice when Chelsea play their most important games.
Looking at some of Chelsea’s other players, I really like Jadon Sancho. I don’t think we saw the best of him at Manchester United by any stretch, and we’re starting to see flashes of what he’s all about. On his day he is absolutely unplayable. I wish that we saw more of what we’ve seen him do at Chelsea in three months, at Manchester United in three years!
Of course, you have to mention Salah. I also think that Mudryk, another Chelsea player, has the potential to be outstanding. There are so many good wingers and wide men in the Premier League at the moment.
Who would you consider as the most overrated player in the Premier League?
I wouldn’t want to say overrated, because that’s quite a harsh description, but if you asked me who is the one player that I’ve expected more from, then I would have to say Antony at Manchester United.
He joined the club for a huge sum, and I think it would be fair to say that he’s disappointed since he’s been at Old Trafford.
Who is the one player that has really impressed you this season?
I’m going to go with a name from an unfancied team, but I’ve been really impressed with Liam Delap at Ipswich. I think he’s started his Premier League career really, really well, which you have to give him a lot of credit for because playing as a centre forward in a newly promoted team can’t be easy.
He has a lot of responsibility on his shoulders, and he has demonstrated that he is more than capable of playing at this level so far.
On a similar note, I also want to mention Tyler Dibling at Southampton. He reminds me of a young Jack Grealish the way he drifts past people. I think he’s looked really good this season and is a really exciting player.
Who is the one defender in the Premier League that you would have dreaded playing against?
The one Premier League defender that I would have dreaded playing against in my prime would have to be Kyle Walker at Manchester City, without a shadow of a doubt. Just the fact that he’s so pacey, so strong, likes to get forward, so I’d have to run all day chasing him. I think he’d be a nightmare to play against.
Has Pep Guardiola surpassed Sir Alex as the undisputed management king of the Premier League?
I could never pick a Manchester City manager above Fergie! You can’t deny the achievement of Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, they’re a juggernaut of a club that hoover up trophies, but he went into the club with a very good group of players and unlimited resources – it’s not like he’s taken a club that was on its knees and turned them into serial winners.
I can’t go against Fergie. I’ve got to go with Fergie. When you consider the position that Manchester United were in when he took over the club, the time he spent there and what he won, he has to be number one when you’re talking about managers in the history of English football. His longevity and consistency with one club can’t be compared to anyone really.
Questions on Manchester United
On Erik ten Hag’s dismissal
I was shocked to hear that Erik ten Hag had been sacked by Manchester United. I thought he may have been given the Leicester game in the Carabao Cup and the Chelsea game in the Premier League as a stay of execution, but United have decided to take action.
I think when he looks at it, he can have no complaints. Too much has happened at Manchester United this season, they’re too far off the pace in the Premier League for the amount of money that has been spent, and things didn’t look like they were going to improve under him.
When you look at some of his recent decision-making, I think questions need to be asked. Against Fenerbahçe he started the game with his full back Noussair Mazraoui at number ten when he had signed Joshua Zirkzee in the summer for £36m. That was a strange decision for the manager to make and also not one which will have filled his new signing with confidence.
If you’re talking about replacement for ten Hag, Ruud van Nistelrooy will obviously step up on an interim basis and I think he will be a good option in the short term. I don’t think he’s quite experienced enough to take on the job on a full-time basis, but he does know the club and if he gets a couple of good results, then I expect United to stick with him until the end of the season or at least until the new year when the transfer window opens.
Xavi is a name that has been mentioned. I would prefer Unai Emery from Aston Villa, but I don’t think he’s going to leave Villa to join Manchester United with everything that is going on at the club and also because of how well he’s doing in the Midlands.
We’ve had big names come into the club before, and they’ve all failed to bring the type of long-term success that Manchester United achieved under Sir Alex Ferguson. People like Jose Mourinho and Louis van Gaal, they both won trophies, but they both were dispensed with.
I’m sure that Jim Ratcliffe and his team have a few names lined up – they would have spoken to candidates. I just hope that they can make the right decision and that can bring a bit of excitement and positivity into the football club.
Manchester United have missed more big chances than any other club this season. Is that profligacy derailing their season?
I definitely think that Manchester United’s profligacy has cost them too many games this season, and, ultimately, it’s cost Erik ten Hag his Manchester United job.
We’ve seen United dominate teams for 20-25 minutes a lot this season and, in those periods, they look like they’re capable of giving anybody a game.
When they repeatedly miss big opportunities, the confidence starts to go and that also gives encouragement to the opponent.
They just look a bit bereft of confidence at times (under ten Hag). Rasmus Hojlund will come back into the team and make them better – he gives them a focal point up front, but it’s unfair to rely on him to score all the goals that United need to win football games. We need to see more players chipping in and the goals being spread around the team.
It sounds obvious, but if United had put the ball in the back of the net, then they wouldn’t be where they are in the table this season.
Can the season still be a success for Manchester United?
You have to be optimistic about the season from a Manchester United perspective. There is still an awful lot of football to be played this season, but you have to also clarify what a successful season for United looks like.
Are we going to challenge for the Premier League title now that ten Hag has gone? The answer would be no, but can we start pulling away from where we are and make inroads towards that top six, then absolutely.
The objective this season would have been Champions League football. That’s going to be very difficult to achieve, almost impossible, but who’s to say what could happen with a new manager in charge. United are a club that is built in the tradition of winning trophies. The Premier League is out of reach, but there’s no reason why they couldn’t win the Europa League this season.
What are your thoughts on INEOS’ role since coming into the club?
Well, INEOS have made a big decision with sacking Erik ten Hag, and you have to say that it was probably the right call. Should they have given him a new contract in the summer? That is obviously a decision that they will regret, but they’ve made the correct decision now.
Prior to the ten Hag decision, you would have to say that all of the decisions being made have been tied to cutting costs, so in many ways I’m glad to see them being decisive in terms of who they want to run their football club.
Now, there will be a lot of pressure on the team that Jim Ratcliffe has assembled to get the permanent appointment of a manager right.
I’m confident that they will appoint the right person. When you look at Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS, they’re successful in everything that they do, so that gives you confidence that they will be successful when it comes to running Manchester United.
What were your thoughts on the decision of Jim Ratcliffe and his team to take Fergie of the United payroll from next season by removing him from his ambassadorial duties at the club?
I actually think that the decision to remove Fergie from his ambassadorial role at the club next season could have been a joint decision. In many ways, I think it was blown out of proportion by the media because obviously it’s a headline and it’s easy to be critical of Manchester United at the moment.
I think it was mutual. Sir Alex is 82 years old. We don’t know how much the job, the travelling was having on him. Without knowing too much about the behind-the-scenes goings on and Fergie’s opinion on it, it’s difficult to say, but I bet he wasn’t happy about losing his pay packet!
You broke into the Manchester United first team when you were 17. Talk to me about the current crop of youngsters at the club, particularly Mainoo & Garnacho, what have you made of their impact on the team and how far can they go in the game?
I think that Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho are already proving that they’re top quality players.
Garnacho has set the world on fire at times. He has scored some unbelievable goals. He’s beat defenders and made them look stupid. He’s been brave in situations and tried to take responsibility. Mainoo has looked like he’s been in the team for 10 years. What he’s done, coming into a team that has been really struggling and taking responsibility, demanding the ball, as a youngster, that’s not easy. Mainoo deserves so much credit for that because it’s not easy being a young player in that United first team, there’s so much pressure.
When you’re playing well, it’s easier to blood younger players, but these guys have both been thrown into the deep end. They’ve had to dig in and fight. I think they’ve both shown brilliant resilience and bravery – they’ve been phenomenal, and, in many ways, they’ve set the example for more experienced players to follow.
How do you think Rashford can get back to his best? Does he need a new environment to start shining again?
I just think Marcus just needs to knock it and run. Take people on. Believe in yourself and your ability. When he races defenders and tests them, puts them under pressure, I think he’s at his best. It’s natural and easy for him, and I think that sometimes, Marcus is guilty of trying to force it a little bit too much.
A couple of seasons ago he was unplayable. He was electrifying, he was scoring goals, he was creating goals. He was really on fire, and he just seems to have gone away from that.
I want to see Marcus encourage his teammates more. Sometimes, when a player doesn’t give him the best pass or he gets frustrated, he shows that in his body language and puts his head down. I’d like to see him play more of a senior role; a leadership role, and encourage his teammates, especially the younger players that look up to him.
Encourage the rest of his team. Be a leader. Marcus is a senior player at Manchester United who has been at the club and in the first team for a long time, it’s his responsibility to help these young lads as well.
Who is the one United player that has really impressed you this season?
If we’re talking about players that have impressed me so far this season, then I have to look at the youngsters. I’ve been impressed with Mainoo, Garnacho and Amad.
I think Amad’s been really unfortunate to be left out of the team as much as he has.
I think every time he’s played, he’s looked really bright and sharp, created chances. I think he can find himself really unfortunate, he’s not played more minutes.
Questions on Leeds United
After losing the play-off final last season, is it promotion or bust for Daniel Farke this time around?
I’m sure that’s on Daniel Farke’s to do list: to get Leeds United back in the Premier League.
Leeds are a massive football club. They would have used the disappointment of missing out on the play-off final as fuel to keep them hungry this season – that would have been a horrible feeling and one that none of these players will want to repeat. So that’s the motivation for the group and for Farke himself.
I’m confident that Farke can take Leeds back to the Premier League this season. I think he’s the right man for the job. They’re in the top three at the moment and playing some good football – they were unfortunate not to beat Bristol at the weekend.
Farke is doing a great job. He’s got some really good players there. And again, if you can keep people fit, I think they’re looking at promotion. I think Leeds are good enough for automatic promotion, but, if they had to do it via the play-off, then I’m confident that they would be able to after what happened last season.
What do you think Leeds United fans want to see from their American ownership group and Red Bull and can they satisfy the demands of the fans?
Like any club, the Leeds United fans expect their club’s owners to be ambitious and to invest in the club. They want investment and backing.
I think the problem Leeds had the last time they came up was squad depth. I don’t think Bielsa spent money and rotated his squad enough and everyone got tired because of the demands that he puts on his football teams. The amount of energy that went into that side, everyone was knackered by the end.
Leeds will need a stronger squad when they return to the Premier League.
Was Archie Gray right to leave Leeds United for Spurs?
Archie’s still a young lad and I think he’s at a great club in Tottenham with a great manager in Ange Postecoglou. It’s going to take time for him to establish himself in that team and, I don’t think Tottenham or Ange want to put him under that kind of pressure too soon.
Archie Gray has got unbelievable ability. His football knowledge and football brain is incredible, and I think he’ll be a huge success, but he’s just a young lad at the moment and I think Tottenham have a development plan for him rather than just throwing him in the deep end.
There are whispers that Leeds might try and take him on loan for the second half of the season. Is that something you would like to see?
I think it would be unbelievable if Leeds could take Archie on loan in the second half of the season.
It would be one of those deals that suits everyone. Archie would be playing regular football at a very high standard in an environment that he has flourished in before, he would get better and would go back to Tottenham a better player.
It would be great for Leeds because he’s such a quality, versatile player. It’s a loan that would benefit all parties.
