He is the only underrated player in Man United team,fans will not see now till He leaves before they will see His value”, Rio Ferdinand reveals the One Man United player who is so underrated in the league
Gary Neville admitted that he felt one Manchester United transfer decision that Sir Alex Ferguson made during his time at Old Trafford was a “questionable” call.
The 49-year-old Manchester United legend spent his entire playing career under Sir Alex Ferguson after rising to prominence from the club’s youth academy.
One of the famed ‘Class of ‘92’ players, Gary Neville lifted eight Premier League titles, two Champions League trophies, three FA Cups and three League Cups.
Neville was a mainstay in the United first team and the former Red Devils right-back went on to make a whopping 598 senior appearances for the Premier League club.
The Sky Sports pundit also took up the captain’s armband at Old Trafford after legendary former manager Ferguson axed Roy Keane from the club in 2005.
Neville has previously opened up about his experience of remaining at United for his entire career and his relationship with Red Devils legend Ferguson.
The ex-England international called it time on his illustrious playing spell at Old Trafford in 2011 after he announced his retirement from football.
Neville on Ferguson transfer sale
Speaking on The Overlap, Gary Neville recalled his reaction to Sir Alex Ferguson making the decision to axe Jaap Stam from Manchester United in 2001.
Jaap Stam arrived at Old Trafford from PSV Eindhoven in 1998 and the United legend enjoyed incredible success during his spell under Ferguson.
The 52-year-old Dutchman was a linchpin defensive figure for Ferguson and Stam was a key part of United’s famous treble-winning team in the 1998-99 season.
Despite his influence in the heart of defence and on the team, Stam was controversially sold to Italian side Lazio after Ferguson axed him from his team.
Ferguson has since admitted that he regretted the decision to sell Stam after he took issue with the claims made by the United legend in his autobiography.
“Jaap was the biggest one where I felt at the time that it was questionable,” Neville said.
“And the boss has said it was his biggest mistake, hasn’t he, in his book?
“That was the one where I look at that transfer and think, ‘He’s the best centre-back in the world. No-one’s beating him. No-one’s beating Jaap Stam!’”
Neville talks about ‘powerhouse’ Stam
Ahead of Jaap Stam’s sale to Lazio for a fee of around £16.5m, the former Netherlands international had an impact on United legend Neville.
Neville played alongside Stam during the Dutchman’s three seasons at Old Trafford and waxed lyrical about the ex-United defender’s presence on the pitch.
“He was just a powerhouse,” he added.
“Me and Denis [Irwin] could go forward, or me and Phil [Neville], whoever it was, and you’d leave Jaap at the back with anyone.
“He was a bit like [Virgil] van Dijk at his peak two or three years ago, where he’d just take the ball off you! You can’t get past him.
“A player looks to run at Jaap Stam, and they’re just refusing it. They’re passing it! That was the one I felt wasn’t quite right.”
