Ex-Man United star takes swipe at Jadon Sancho following January exit

Jaap Stam tells fans to decide how much he’d be worth in today’s game, hints at Premier League return for Mourinho & takes swipe at Jadon Sancho following Man United exit.

• “If you’re putting modern day values on former players, I find it difficult. Maybe others are better placed to say. Times have changed, but I left Holland for United as the most expensive defender in history. What does that make me worth in today’s game? Maybe it’s better for you to mention a figure!”

• [On Jose Mourinho] “He’s got tons of experience, he’s won a lot of trophies, he knows this country very well and he loves the Premier League, we know that. I think that when teams are without a manager between now and the end of the season, they’re probably going to try and pick him up.”

• [On Jadon Sancho] “The club needed to make the decision to let him play his football somewhere else… it’s good for the manager because it means he’s not going to be asked all of the same questions about the player. Although, of course, if he goes and does well in Dortmund, I’m sure people will then ask the manager why he allowed the player to leave!”

• “Sometimes you see players with this kind of power within themselves, even though they haven’t proven themselves at the club, or at a certain level, but they’re not happy with how the manager has treated them, or what the manager has said about them… but they still get a great move out of it, to go and play somewhere else.”

• “Yeah, I saw Luke [Littler] at Old Trafford on Sunday, we had an interview with him. I know he’s a big Manchester United fan and it was good to see him the other day and have a brief conversation with him. I think it’s amazing, what he’s done… I had to ask him how he manages to control himself and perform at that level, when you see what he’s dealing with in the crowd behind him.”

How much would Jaap Stam be worth today?

“That’s a difficult one, for me to say about myself, isn’t it? I know football has changed over the years. Players have changed, there’s more attention on physique, and staying fit, and all of that. So, you could also ask the question ‘how good would we have been if we’d have had all of this available to us?’ You know, this knowledge and understanding of fitness – look, we were fit at the time, by the way!

“I know people talk all the time about how much football has changed, and that the game is much faster. I don’t know, to be honest, whether I agree with that. Sometimes, maybe, it looks a little bit faster, but that’s it. Everything is more structured now, I would agree with that. So many people work behind the scenes, so imagine what we’d have been like if we’d have had the same access to all of that kind of thing…

“If you’re putting modern day values on former players, I find it difficult. Maybe others are better placed to say. Times have changed, but I left Holland for United as the most expensive defender in history. What does that make me worth in today’s game? Maybe it’s better for you to mention a figure!”

Premier League clubs will now be looking at Jose Mourinho

“Is it surprising? I don’t know; we’re talking about Roma, a club with high expectations who always want to be challenging for the league over in Italy. But they’ve been struggling for a while now, to get to that level of competing with Juventus, and then you’ve got the likes of Napoli and Milan who they’ve now fallen behind as well… we all know how it goes eventually, if you’re not successful, and you’re not winning enough games, then you’re leaving clubs with a decision to make.

“But I like Jose Mourinho, I like him as a manager and as a person as well. But it’s just how it goes sometimes. For a manager like him, there’s always a club who’ll be interested in bringing him in. He’s got tons of experience, he’s won a lot of trophies, he knows this country very well and he loves the Premier League, we know that. I think that when teams are without a manager between now and the end of the season, they’re probably going to try and pick him up.

“You also know that with Mourinho, you get a certain way of playing, so you need to look at that before bringing him in. But I would fully understand why clubs in the Premier League would be taking a look at him right now and trying to bring him in.”

Sancho’s success in Germany may come back to bite Ten Hag…

“I think it’s better for everyone that Jadon Sancho is back at Dortmund. He probably did everything he could to leave Manchester United, because that’s how these things go when a player is not happy, and he knows how eventual the situation is, that the club would have to let him go.

“It seems like he did everything to make this move away, which, is that bad or good? You know, sometimes when a player is not happy and he’s doing things that you’re not happy with, don’t give him anything… just let him play with the under-23s, or whatever, all season. But then, of course, that’s not good for the under-23s, it’s not good for the club, and it means he stays.

“That’s not good for the first-team because he’s got friends within the squad, and that doesn’t help things for the manager. The club needed to make the decision to let him play his football somewhere else… it’s good for the manager because it means he’s not going to be asked all of the same questions about the player. Although, of course, if he goes and does well in Dortmund, I’m sure people will then ask the manager why he allowed the player to leave!

“But I think it’s better for all parties that he moved on. Sometimes you see players with this kind of power within themselves, even though they haven’t proven themselves at the club, or at a certain level, but they’re not happy with how the manager has treated them, or what the manager has said about them… but they still get a great move out of it, to go and play somewhere else. It’s better for everyone that he left, I think.”

I’m amazed by Luke Littler… I had to ask him this question when I saw him last weekend

“Yeah, I saw Luke [Littler] at Old Trafford on Sunday, we had an interview with him. I know he’s a big Manchester United fan and it was good to see him the other day and have a brief conversation with him. I think it’s amazing, what he’s done. I’d have loved for him to have won the World Championship, of course, but sometimes you need to grow into these things and eventually make that step. But the talent that he has is incredible, and I had to ask him how he manages to control himself and perform at that level, when you see what he’s dealing with in the crowd behind him.

“He’s throwing these darts and he’s so cool, and so focused, and he’s beating some top, top names, so easily at times as well. It’s amazing. And hopefully he can carry on at this level, but it’s not easy because when you’re young, you’re going up there with very little to lose. But with every win, the more eyes are on you, and that’s a whole new level of pressure you have to deal with, and people are expecting more and more from you.

“That’s why I find these players so impressive. Not only Luke, but the rest of the top players; when there’s people behind you, on your back, and they’re drinking, shouting things at you, trying to throw you off guard… to still be so focused and produce the level that we see from those top guys, it’s amazing.

“I know the Premier League comes to Rotterdam in a couple of months from now; I’m not sure whether I can make it but I’ll definitely be watching it on TV. Luke’s going to have a great reception here in Holland; he’s beaten Raymond van Barneveld already… you never know, maybe he’ll be up against Michael van Gerwen on that night! It was great to see him, and hopefully he can keep it up.”