Teddy Sheringham, 49, coming out of retirement to play for Stevenage

The 49-year-old took over as manager of League Two side Stevenage this year, but due to a series of injuries at the Hertfordshire club he has registered himself as a player.

Assistant manager Kevin Watson, also in his 40s, has registered to play as well ahead of the club's FA Cup clash against Gillingham at the weekend.

Sheringham made his professional debut back in 1984 at Millwall, the club where he spent the first eight seasons of his professional career.

He went on to play for clubs including Nottingham Forest, Tottenham, West Ham and Manchester United, famously scoring the goal which tied the 1999 Champions League final against Bayern Munich in the closing moments, then providing the flick-on from which Ole Gunnar Solskjaer scored the winner that gave United the treble that season.

Should he play at the weekend, however, it will be in very different circumstances: Stevenage visit Gillingham, who are managed by Sheringham's former Spurs team-mate Justin Edinburgh.

When asked if he thought his players could handle the threat of a man who turns 50 next April, Edinburgh chuckled: "I would be quite disappointed if they didn’t!"