Jaap Stam says he’d love to return to Manchester United, more than two decades after his controversial exit from the club.
The former Dutch defender, who spent three successful seasons at Old Trafford, says he wants to help revive the club’s former glories amid their ongoing struggles in recent seasons. The appointment of Ruben Amorim in November brought renewed hope to fans, especially following a 2-1 victory over Manchester City earlier this month.
However, defeats to Arsenal, Nottingham Forest, Tottenham, and Bournemouth have dampened spirits, highlighting the significant work required to restore United to their former glory. Speaking to Sports Lens, Stam, who has previously managed Feyenoord and Reading, says he’d jump at the chance to join Amorim’s coaching staff.
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“I’d love to coach at Manchester United but they haven’t picked up the phone,” he said. “I think everyone who has been associated with the club would love to go back and help. Having been in management myself I have coached and helping them in any role would be great.
“I’m always open for talks because I’d love to see the club back winning trophies and maybe I could help coach the defence, but with the manager lots of new staff have come in so they have plenty of options. But you never know.”
United sit 13th in the Premier League heading into their Boxing Day clash with Wolves, marking the first time they were in the bottom half of the table on Christmas Day since 1989. Stam admitted his former side were in a “transition period”, but suggested that even Amorim’s job could be under threat if results don’t properly pick up.
“Everyone is hoping that Manchester United can compete for the Premier League next season and the manager will as well, but in the meantime it’s very important to win matches and climb up the table,” the 52-year-old said.
“It’s a transition period and the players need time to adapt, but there is still pressure to win matches with his new style and to be in a decent position in the table. Ruben Amorim will be working hard to see which players best suit his system but until then there will be a lot of change.”
The Red Devils will be desperate to put their 3-0 hammering at the hands of Bournemouth last week behind them with a win at Molineux this evening (December 26). Three points could lift them into the top half of the table, depending on results elsewhere, and United will fancy doing just that given their strong recent record against Wolves, having beaten them in eight of their last 10 matches in all competitions.
Stam joined United in 1998 from PSV, becoming the most expensive defender in the world at the time after arriving in a £10.6million deal. He was a regular in Sir Alex Ferguson’s side, and helped the club clinch an historic Treble (winning the Premier League, the Champions League and the FA Cup) in his first season.
He went on to secure two more Premier League titles before his controversial transfer to Lazio in 2001. Years later, Ferguson acknowledged that letting Stam go was one of the gravest errors of his managerial career.
After retiring from playing in 2007, Stam transitioned into a fruitful coaching journey. He began as an assistant at PEC Zwolle and later joined Ajax in a similar capacity before being appointed manager of Jong Ajax, the club’s reserve team, in 2014.
In 2016, he stepped into the managerial role at Reading in the Championship, guiding them to the play-offs during his debut season. However, he resigned in 2018 following a dismal stretch of just one victory in 18 games. Stam subsequently took the helm at PEC Zwolle, Feyenoord, and FC Cincinnati, and currently manages Dutch sixth-tier side DOS Kampen.