Manchester United icon Jaap Stam has suggested he was never truly comfortable at the club, and the press played their part in that.
The former defender has been discussing his career with Soccer News, which naturally included a conversation about his time at Manchester United.
The Dutchman spent three years at Manchester United after joining them in a €17m deal from PSV Eindhoven in July 1998.
He was a key player for the club in that time, establishing himself as one of the best defenders in the world and helping Manchester United to three straight Premier League titles, the FA Cup, Champions League and Intercontinental Cup in 127 appearances.
He also enjoyed success on a personal level too, being named as UEFA’s Club Best Defender of the Year for two straight years and being named in the PFA Team of the Year for all of his three seasons in England.
That was undoubtedly the high point of his career, although he later enjoyed success with Lazio, AC Milan and Ajax after departing Old Trafford.
Stam, though, has suggested he was never truly comfortable at Manchester United, not like he had been at PSV Eindhoven anyway.
“When I was in Eindhoven, I felt at ease. At that time I was one of the better players in the Netherlands and I won many prizes,” he said.
“In the Netherlands it was fun and I won a lot of matches, but in England the football was much harder.
“I was photographed everywhere and a lot of it was published, which is a completely different way of working. If you had done things that were unacceptable, he (Sir Alex Ferguson) would let you know because you just had to perform.”
