Sheringham considers management in the future after receiving MBE

Former Tottenham, West Ham and Manchester United footballer Teddy Sheringham spoke today of his pride after he received an MBE at Buckingham Palace.

The veteran striker said it had been a "fantastic" moment collecting the honour for services to football from the Prince of Wales.

He said: "It is fantastic, it is probably the best moment I have had at the palace. I have been a couple of times, most notably with the Euro '96 England football team but coming back here today to get an MBE is fantastic."

The 41-year-old, whose professional career has spanned more 20 years, said the Prince of Wales asked him if he was "still going strong" as a player.

"I said I was hanging in there - you know the bones were creaking a little bit," Mr Sheringham joked.

"He asked me if I was going into management, I said, 'maybe, maybe one day, there is plenty of time for that'."

The footballer has won 51 caps for England and played a central role in Manchester United's unprecedented treble in 1999, scoring in both the FA Cup and Champions League finals.

He was released by the Hammers at the end of last season but now plays for Colchester United.

He also played for Millwall.

He was accompanied to the investiture ceremony by his 19-year-old son Charlie and his parents Shirley and Paul.

Asked about the crunch match between England and Croatia tomorrow, Mr Sheringham said he was "sure" England would qualify for the Euro 2008 finals.