Youngsters receive Sharpe advice

Youngsters receive Sharpe advice

He will be sweating buckets over the next two days, which perhaps explains why former Manchester United winger Lee Sharpe didn't exert himself too much under the blazing sun at the Padang yesterday.

He spent 45 minutes giving invaluable tips to youngsters a at a football clinic on the eve of the 7th Singapore Cricket Club (SCC) International Football Sixes.

Sharpe, who was a key member of United's squad that collected trophies in remorseless fashion in the 1990s, will lead the CLA All Stars in the masters category of the two-day tournament, which kicks off today.

Former Singapore striker Aleksandar Duric will also be playing for the CLA All Stars, while local clubs Geylang International and Home United will be competing in the Open category as part of their tune-up for the upcoming Great Eastern Yeo's S.League season.

The clinic saw Phnom Penh Crown, the defending champions of the youth category (Under-14) of the SCC Sixes, and the team they beat last year, Youth Football Home, participate in various drills and exercises while Sharpe observed from the sidelines.

The youth competition of the SCC Sixes is held to support less fortunate young footballers from the region.

Although most of the youngsters were too young to be starstruck by Sharpe, they were delighted at the chance to play football.

While the 43-year-old former winger did dish out advice and hand out pointers, Sharpe - now a football pundit for the Abu Dhabi Sports Channel - insisted he would never return to United as a coach.

Speaking to The New Paper before the clinic yesterday, he said: "I just don't really like coaching, it's just never appealed to me."

Sharpe, who made his debut for the Red Devils at age 17, also handed out advice on how to handle the stresses and strains of being a young prodigy suddenly thrust into the spotlight.

"You just have to make the right decisions," he said. "Don't beat yourself up when you play badly, but don't get too caught up in yourself when you play well."


This article was first published on January 31, 2015.
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