“I was sad to see him leave Manchester United” – Mikael Silvestre makes honest admission about ‘impressive’ former teammate at Old Trafford

Former Manchester United star Mikael Silvestre has included Jaap Stam in his greatest-ever lineup of teammates. Speaking to FourFourTwo, Silvestre explained his decision to add Stam while highlighting his former teammate's qualities. He said:

“Such a class defender. He was so powerful – physically a beast – but fast as well. He had quick feet, and that agility was impressive for a big guy like him. I was sad to see him leave Manchester United for Lazio in 2001.”

Stam joined the Red Devils as the most expensive defender at the time, with United paying £10.6 million to bring him to Old Trafford in 1998. Although the Dutch defender played alongside Silvestre for just three years, he still made the Frenchman's starting lineup.

Stam's transfer to Lazio was a controversial move, which made many question Manchester United's ability to keep their best players. Sir Alex Ferguson later expressed his disappointment with how events had led to the former defender's exit from the club. He said (via Independent):

"At the time, he had just come back from an Achilles injury and we thought he had just lost a little bit. We got the offer from Lazio, £16.5m for a centre-back who was 29. It was an offer I couldn't refuse. But in playing terms, it was a mistake."

Other players that made Silvestre's starting lineup were Edwin Van der Sar in between the sticks, with Lilian Thuram, Stam, Marcel Desailly, and Javier Zanetti in defense. Roy Keane, Paul Scholes, and Zinedine Zidane took up the midfield slots while Thierry Henry, Ronaldo Nazario, and Cristiano Ronaldo made up the attack.

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Silvestre's time at Manchester United

The legendary United defender joined in 1999, a year after Jaap Stam arrived at Old Trafford. Unlike the Dutchman, who spent only three years at Old Trafford, Silvestre stayed with the Red Devils till 2008.

He notably played just three Premier League games in his last season at Manchester United but was far from finished at England's top tier. He eventually joined Arsenal, spending two seasons for the North London outfit, making 43 appearances.

Silvestre's trophy count with the Red Devils was impressive as he won the Premier League four times at Old Trafford.