Manchester United legend Japp Stam has slammed the current culture at the club, saying it's in stark contrast to the United he was part of.
The Dutch defender was part of the Red Devils' 1999 treble-winning side and is heralded as one of the club's best defenders of the Premier League era.
However, the United he played for under Sir Alex Ferguson has endured a decline in fortune, and speaking on William Hill’s podcast, Up Front with Simon Jordan, Stam detailed the reason behind the downward turn.
“The current United culture is completely different from when I was a player,” said Stam.
“It boils down to the people at the club and how it is run, what they expect from the team, the players and the manager. You need to raise the bar and set the standards high, but you also need to get your recruitment right and get the right players in.
“If we’re looking at United’s team over the last couple of years and the players that have come in, yes there have been some young, talented individuals but there are also others that are debatable and not good enough for this level. I think Antony did well in Holland and showed some quality there, but when you go to a different league and go to United with a big price tag it’s not the same.
“The club need to bring in better players. With Antony, he’s been there almost two seasons and you can’t keep saying he will come good eventually. If you’re bringing in players worth that much money, they need to make a difference. Of course, it’ll take a couple of games, but they need to show their quality eventually, scoring goals and getting assists.”
Stam also hit out at the current team for lacking leaders in their ranks, stating it's another reason why you can't compare the team to his era.
He added: "You can’t compare the Manchester United team of 1998/99 and the team now. When I look at United now, I don’t see any players telling each other off or telling them that they’re not playing well enough and need to give more. They don’t give each other a bollocking anymore, but it’s a different culture now everywhere to how it was.”
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