Lee Sharpe: ‘Erik ten Hag knows no player is bigger than Man Utd, much like Sir Alex Ferguson’

The beauty of the Manchester derby lies not just in its rich history but also its unerring potential to serve up a curveball result.

Recent history is littered with examples, from the Mario Balotelli “Why Always Me?” match that signified the shifting of the sands in the city, right up to the Covid-ball coupon buster at the Etihad last year, when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Red Devils ended City’s 21-game winning run with a 2-0 victory.

That volatility is part of its DNA. This may be a golden era of unprecedented success for Manchester City, for example, but for supporters of a certain vintage it is a 5-1 home derby win from way back in 1989 that was as shocking as it was satisfying for the blue half of the city.

You don’t need to remind former Manchester United winger Lee Sharpe, who at 18 was still finding his way in a team that were a few years away from turning a corner under Sir Alex Ferguson.

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He recalls the moment with a sense of dread. “We were 5-1 down and Sir Alex put me on the last 10 minutes or so. I was thinking ‘Thanks for that’. He said: ‘Go on and have a taste of that, it’s not very nice’,” Sharpe tells i.

Results like that are why no one should be fooled that City, while strong favourites, are fireproof. Pep Guardiola’s side are ascendant, but Ten Hag has revived hope at Old Trafford. They cannot be written off and defeating City on their own patch would send a real message.

“United have every chance. City are phenomenal, they dictate the pace of play, they are strong in every area and have (Erling) Haaland banging in goals. They will have the majority of the ball but United will fancy themselves on the counter,” Sharpe adds.

A big reason for optimism is the newish face in the away dugout. “I really like Ten Hag. He has the discipline, the work rate and a strong philosophy on how he wants to play,” Sharpe says.

“He knows that the club is bigger than any player and doesn’t allow players to dictate and in that way he’s got an air of Alex Ferguson about him. They’re totally different characters with different philosophies in the game but he wants to win, he buys winners and he wants players that fit into his system.

“He wants to play his system regularly and works on it in training. It’s on the right track and I’m really excited about it.”

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This weekend Sharpe will be part of the Malaysian TV coverage of the fixture, further enduring proof of the global appeal of the Premier League and one of the original rock and roll stars of the competition.

These days Sharpe lives in Spain – “We moved by accident, we were out here when Covid hit and we didn’t want to go back” – and runs a bar in Costa Blanca with his wife Lucy and two young children. A scratch golfer, he nurses ambitions of getting a card for the European Seniors Tour.

Lee Sharpe was a popular player at Man Utd and now wants to make golf’s European Seniors Tour (Photo: Getty)

“People might say I’ve got no chance but they said that when I was released by Birmingham at 16: ‘You’ve got no chance in football, get yourself a proper job’. My mum said the same, to be fair,” he says.

He remains popular with his former Class of 92 peers. His unlikely friendship with Roy Keane – polar opposites on the pitch when at Old Trafford – endures. He takes up one story when he was in Manchester at an after dinner speaking engagement at Christmas and spotted his old teammate.

“We hadn’t seen each other for maybe 10, 14 years? And we just look at each other and start giggling and then we start chatting. Some guy comes out the door and sees us at the back of The Lowry, he’s about three or four yards away and says: ‘Sorry lads, I hope I’m not intruding, but do you mind if I get a picture?’

“But he didn’t want a selfie, he was just taking one with us in the background. Roy turned round and said ‘No, f__k off, you are intruding, leave us alone!’ I was quite shocked and said ‘Keaney!’.

“He just said to me: ‘Oh I’m getting worse as I get older, it’s terrible.’ That’s Roy.”

Lee Sharpe was talking to i in conjunction with freebets.com

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