Teddy Sheringham says it is the ‘right time’ for him to take his first step into management.

The Tottenham Hotspur legend was announced as Stevenage’s new boss at a press conference at the Lamex Stadium today.

“This feels right,” he told the assembled media in his first press conference as a manager. “I’m an old starting manager so I’ve got a lot of ground to make up on boys that start when they finish at 35 or 36.

“I haven’t got a lot of time to muck about if I’m going to go anywhere in the game, and I’m determined to do that.”

The 49-year-old’s route back into football took him a lot longer than he expected.

After retiring in 2008 following a season with Colchester United in the Championship, he spent the next six years out of the game. A call from West Ham United boss Sam Allardyce in May 2014 brought him back to football as the Hammers’ attacking coach.

“I’d had a good time out. When I first finished I thought I’d be involved within two months, maybe six months, a year, two years top whack and I’d be back in football because I love the game,” said Sheringham.

“I was having a good time and it’s taken a little bit longer. Three years ago I was thinking ‘Should I? Could I? Two years ago I was thinking the same. Then the chance came up last year and I said yes. Now this feels right.”

Having taken so long to get back into football, Thursday’s appointment took all of two days for Sheringham and the club to agree to a three-year deal.

Now the hard work comes – Stevenage have 12 players on the books – and the new manager is excited at the prospect of building a new team.

How that team will play is anyone’s guess. Sheringham isn’t even sure.

“I can’t answer that,” he said. “I’ve got to find a winning formula to win football matches. It’s going to be very difficult; League Two is a tough division to compete in and win matches and get into top six.

“I think you have to look at players you have available, weigh up the pros and cons in the team and the set up and use it. It’s as simple as that.

“I’ve got the chance to bring in players. The budget isn’t the biggest but it’s a chance to have a look at players over the next month or two and get players in that I like the look of.

“I need to learn very quickly about the players that are already here and the ones coming in. They need to know how I want to play and I need to know if they can carry that out.”

As for his aims in his first season, Sheringham has set the bar very high.

“I want to do better than last season. There are people around the country with big ambitions to get out of this division. Hopefully we’ll be one of them come next May,” he said.