Former Manchester United defender Jaap Stam is skeptical that Manchester United’s fortunes will change solely due to a managerial change.
The 52-year-old, whose three seasons at Old Trafford included the historic treble-winning 1998-99 campaign, believes the quality at his former club needs to improve.
Whether it’s from the existing squad or new additions, above all, Stam insists consistency is required to awaken the Red Devils from their decade-long hibernation.
His comments come as United prepare to begin another new era, following the sacking of Erik ten Hag and the imminent arrival of Ruben Amorim.
“Everyone knows that when a new coach comes in, there is always a push for a lot of players because everyone is trying to prove themselves again.” Stam, who spoke on behalf of BetMGM he told Mail Sport. ‘Everyone wants to start and show the coach what they can contribute.
Jaap Stam is not convinced that Manchester United’s problems can be solved by hiring a new manager
The Red Devils fell to 14th place in the Premier League after suffering defeat to West Ham on Sunday
Erik ten Hag was sacked the following morning, ending his two and a half years at the helm of the club.
“After a couple of weeks of the coach choosing his players, you will see that some players are no longer happy, so you may find yourself in the same circumstances as before.
‘Is (Amorim) going to bring these players to a level where they can eventually compete for a top-four spot? It’s hard to say.
“We can always look at the coach, we can look at recruiting, but we also have to look at the players and how they have performed as individuals.”
“And we can say that these individuals need to step up and show more consistency and quality in games because otherwise we are going to have the same problems.”
A liberated United were barely recognizable when they put five goals past Leicester in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night. The team had failed to score five goals in a single match against another Premier League team during Ten Hag’s entire tenure, but achieved the feat in the first match after his dismissal.
The Dutchman was relieved of his duties on Monday following Sunday’s controversial defeat to West Ham, although his job had been in jeopardy for several months before the Ineos co-owners finally pulled the trigger.
Regardless, Stam still believes the former Ajax manager deserved to have been given more time after being awarded a new contract and spearheading a summer recruitment drive.
“The day after the West Ham defeat, I think it was a strange decision to sack him.” Stam added.
The Dutchman looked set to leave at the end of last season but won over many critics with tactics that stunned Manchester City in the FA Cup final.
Unfortunately, results and performance did not improve, prompting the co-owners of Ineos to pull the trigger. Pictured: Ineos boss Sir Jim Ratcliffe (centre left)
‘If you talk to your manager in that period of time about the future and the future, you hear Ten Hag say “everyone’s on the same page”, then you hope he’s there a bit more.
“You can’t expect United to win every game. We know the team is consistent too, they need to develop, they need to do better, it’s that simple. So it was a strange decision to sack Ten Hag.
“You give the coach a new contract, you support him by bringing in new players and you spend a lot of money. You also know that the team is not consistent enough to compete for the top four places.
‘I think you need to give him more time to grow during the season, do better and see where he ends up with this team at the end of the season. It’s a little early after two months of saying he has to leave because the results aren’t there.’
Amorim has won two league titles and four cups in his four years at Sporting. He will become the second Portuguese manager, after Jose Mourinho, to lead United and the tenth manager, including interims, to lead the team since Sir Alex Ferguson retired.
A new-look United put Leicester to the sword on Wednesday night to advance to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals
The club has signed Sporting coach Rubén Amorim after his impressive career in Portugal
Stam is understandably hesitant to assume Amorim will bring success to United. In fact, as the defender recalls, the atmosphere was also effervescent when the Red Devils agreed to bring Ten Hag to the club in 2022, after his exploits with Ajax in the Eredivisie and in Europe.
“When Ten Hag signed for United, everyone was very positive and excited about him joining because of his style of play. Now there is a young coach with a slightly different philosophy and style of play than Ten Hag.
But I think he could still use the same players that Ten Hag had. (Amorim) has done well in Portugal, won trophies, but that is no guarantee of success at United.
‘We have to wait and see what will happen. Can he build a team with the style he wants and then be successful? “Every coach wants to bring in their own players and staff, so it will probably cost them a lot of money again.”
Jaap Stam spoke on behalf of BetMGM. Play the new £1 million golden goal game this season by correctly predicting Premier League results. BeGambleAware 18+
