Jaap Stam was sold to Lazio from Manchester United despite his reputation as a premier defender (Image: Sunday Mirror)
Manchester United legend confessed his regret over the sale of Jaap Stam, concurring with ‘s assessment that the decision was a “travesty”. The Dutch defender was brought to Old Trafford in 1998 for a hefty £10.6million fee, quickly proving his worth as one of the world’s top defenders during his three-year stint in Manchester.
This period saw Stam help secure three consecutive league titles and contribute to the club’s historic treble in the 1998/99 season. Despite his significant contributions, Stam was unexpectedly sold to Lazio for £15.3m in 2001 following a fallout with Ferguson over claims made in his Head To Head autobiography.
He had alleged that had illegally approached him prior to his transfer from PSV Eindhoven. The Red Devils’ first season without Stam was markedly less successful, with the club failing to secure any silverware for the first time in four years.
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Ferguson, 83, later admitted his regret over the decision to let the now 52-year-old centre back go, a sentiment echoed by Neville who described the move as a shocking choice. “Sir Alex Ferguson has since admitted it was a mistake [letting go of Jaap Stam], the Sky Sports pundit said on the podcast, via .
“When it happened, it was a massive shock. It’s a travesty really that [Jaap] only played for for three years.
“The quality of centre-back [Jaap] was – one of the best centre-backs that’s ever played in the Premier League, let alone at .” Six years after selling Stam to the Italian side, Ferguson publicly expressed his regret over the Dutchman’s departure.
Sir Alex Ferguson regretted letting Stam go (Image: Getty)
However, he suggested his exit was due to an Achilles injury he suffered a year prior, claiming he wasn’t the same player after his recovery. “At the time he had just come back from an Achilles injury and we thought he had just lost a little bit,” the Scotsman shared with an audience at the Citizens Theatre in his native Glasgow.
“We got the offer from Lazio – £16.5m for a centre-back that was 29. It was an offer I couldn’t refuse. But in playing terms it was a mistake.
“He is still playing for Ajax at a really good level.” After spending three years with Lazio, Stam enjoyed a two-year stint at AC Milan before returning to his home country in 2006 to finish his career with Ajax, who he spent a single season with.