Soccer: New United boss faces tough time - Sheringham

Teddy Sheringham believes the man who replaces Sir Alex Ferguson at the end of next season will have "a big job on his hands".

Ferguson has built up a dynasty at Old Trafford, winning the European Cup, Cup-Winners Cup, six league titles - with a seventh almost in the bag - four FA Cups and the League Cup.

But Sheringham thinks his departure may see a shift in power.

He said: "It is going to be a big shock when he leaves.

"The comparison I would make is with Liverpool. They were so dominant in the eighties and I am sure they could never see there was going to be a demise.

"But there was, because of different managerial staff coming in and different players being bought.

"The new manager is going to have a big job on his hands. He's got to buy well and he's got to know how to handle the big characters. It takes a lot to do that."

The United striker is convinced that Ruud van Nistelrooy will not get an automatic place in United's first team if he joins the club in the summer.

The PSV Eindhoven hitman still tops Ferguson's hit list and could join United in a cut-price deal involving instalments.

But Sheringham, who looks like signing a new one-year deal to stay at Old Trafford, would not be threatened by van Nistelrooy's arrival, though.

"He'd just be someone else to come into the rotation system. All the strikers at the club would say the same thing - whether you are in or not you don't like to be rotated," said Sheringham.

Sheringham added: "The hard work, everything you've done for the past 18 years of your life seems to count for nothing if you are watching other people play. But that's the manager's decision and what we think about it doesn't really matter."