Amazon Prime’s new ’99’ documentary – detailing Manchester United’s journey to that fabled Treble – made for rather bittersweet viewing.
How can you really enjoy the glorious past when the present is so miserable? Can you really bask in the wonder of that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer back-post poke when memories of a bonafide Manchester United legend are tainted, somewhat, by the way his managerial stint at Old Trafford ended?
At least, with Ineos seizing control from the despised Glazer family, the Red Devils finally have people at the top of the club focusing on on-field success, rather than milking this eternal cash cow and pocketing the profits themselves.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe‘s attempted revival of world football’s most underachieving club begun in an attempt to get those with the club’s best interests at heart on board. Ratcliffe has already conducted more interviews with United’s fans groups than the Glazers have in two decades.
And, a quarter-of-a-century on from Clive Tyldesley’s iconic ‘and Solskjaer has won it’ screech sent shivers down the spines of each and every Red Devils fanatic, one of the players who started on the most iconic night in Man United’s history has reportedly been lined up for an emotional return to Old Trafford.
Jaap Stam could make Manchester United return
Tuttomercatoweb report that, in the last few hours, Man United have opened talks with none other than Jaap Stam to discover whether the former centre-half would be keen on a return to the club where he spent three years until a rather unseemly parting of the ways with former boss Sir Alex Ferguson.
The publication clarifies the sort of role Stam has been earmarked for too. He would not be a coach as part ofErik ten Hag‘s – or his potential replacement‘s – backroom staff.
The 51-year-old would instead operate as ‘a link’ between the club and their technical staff, including new CEO Omar Berrada, Ratcliffe’s right-hand man Jean-Claude Blanc, technical director Jason Wilcox and the incoming Dan Ashworth.
Stam has not worked in English football since a spell as the manager of Reading from 2016 to 2018. A complicating factor, however, will arise from the fact that the former Netherlands international is due to start work as the head coach of NOS Kampen, the club where he started his professional career, on July 1st.
It remains to be seen whether Stam would be able to perform a duel role, splitting his time between coaching duties and his new position at Old Trafford.
Jaap Stam has praised two Ten Hag signings
The former Lazio, Ajax, AC Milan and PSV Eindhoven colossus has suffered with the rest of us as Man United slipped from the top of the English football summit in the post-Ferguson era. He has, however, spoken in glowing terms about two of the players United brought to the North West under Ten Hag.
“He’s a good player and he’s got a great mentality,” Stam told Stick To Football of Lisandro Martinez,. “He’s another player that needs to step up for the team.
“Going into aerial battles with him, he isn’t the best at that and he has been caught out a few times but he’s a really good player. If you want to play possession-based football, players like him are needed.”
Stam then spoke out in support of Rasmus Hojlund, via Tipsbladet, after a slow start to life in the Premier League for the now-16-goal striker.
“He has made a really good impression on me. I think he is a really good player,” Stam said. “He is very talented. He has an excellent left foot, a really good physique and lots of speed. And he has shown that in his first matches for United.
“When you come to such a big club as a very young man, it is not easy (for Hojlund) to show his qualities. Because he also needs the players around him (to help out). He needs them to put him on the stage and give him opportunities to score.”