Pranav Nair
Jaap Stam opens up on Manchester United exit
Speaking to FourFourTwo (h/t Mirror), former Manchester United defender Jaap Stam has opened up on his shock exit from the club in 2001.
The Dutchman had been at the club for three years and had made 127 appearances. He played a key role as the Red Devils won six major honors including their famous treble during that time.
Then United boss Sir Alex Ferguson was unhappy at the allegations made in Stam’s autobiography and decided to sell him to Serie A side, Lazio. Something the defender found out while at a petrol station. (h/t Mirror)
“I was driving home from training when my agent phoned, telling me I’d been sold.”
Although he was told not to worry about the revelations in the book, SAF’s actions told otherwise. Despite Stam’s assertion that there was nothing bad in the book, SAF initially left him out of a matchday squad before eventually sanctioning his sale. (h/t Mirror)
Ferguson met up with Stam at a petrol stadium outside a mall. He revealed that United had accepted an offer from Lazio for the Dutchman. Stam was gone the next day. (h/t Mirror)
“Within 24 hours, I’d gone to Rome and joined Lazio.”
It was a decision that the Scotsman would regret in his later years. SAF maintained that his decision was motivated by the excellent financial offer made by Roma. (h/t Mirror)
He did, however, add that from a footballing perspective, it did little good to the club given the Dutchman’s solid defensive skills. (h/t Mirror)
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Stam would later go on to play for AC Milan before ending his career at Ajax Amsterdam.
An accomplished defender, Stam made it to the PFA Team of the Year during all his three seasons at Old Trafford.
