STAM LOOKS BACK, AND FORWARD

Last updated : 17 February 2005 By editor

"Ha ha, that was a great song. It made me laugh. It made me proud because not every player gets that done for them. It was a sign to me of their affection. But it will be really nice to go back to Old Trafford because I haven't returned since my departure three-and-a-half years ago.

"My move to Lazio happened so quickly that I never had a chance to say goodbye to a lot of friends. I hope I get a nice reception from the fans because they meant so much to me when I was there. I really don't want to talk about what happened -it's all in the past. But I was settled at Manchester United - I had even just ordered a new kitchen.

"If I scored at Old Trafford I would be very happy. I will definitely be going forward for set plays. I would be sorry for United's fans, but it would be an important away goal for Milan."

Stam has clearly been keeping an eye on what we’ve been up to, "Replacing somebody as good as Peter Schmeichel was always going to be difficult, but I don't think they have a weakness in that department.

"Yes, Tim Howard and Roy Carroll have made mistakes, but all goalkeepers do at some stage. As for United's defence, I think they are very good. They have not conceded many. Ryan Giggs and Roy Keane are still two of the most important players. Roy has always been a great footballer and, even though his game may have altered, he remains a top-quality midfielder.

"As for Giggsy, he is fantastic. He is very hard to handle. David Beckham was a very important player at United, so it's no surprise that they have missed his skills. But they have replaced him with Cristiano Ronaldo and he is a fabulous player."

He also feels that the league championship is heading to Stamford Bridge this year, "The gap is very big between Chelsea and the rest, so yes, this is their year. United have come from behind a couple of times but it doesn't look like happening again this time.”