Sir Alex Ferguson's ruthless dismissal of Jaap Stam at Manchester United was his most brutal, and he may have used the defender's autobiography as an exucse. This is according to Stam's former team-mates, Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt, who singled out the Dutchman's ousting as their ex-manager's most merciless move.
Stam played a crucial role in Ferguson and United's 1999 Champions League victory and subsequent treble, as well as contributing to three Premier League title campaigns. However, in 2001, the contents of the centre-back's autobiography, 'Head To Head,' irked the Scotsman, leading to a swift fallout.
Allegedly informed of his sudden sale to Italian side Lazio at a petrol station, Stam's departure tops the list in terms of ruthlessness, say his former colleagues. Yet, Scholes suggests that Ferguson might have used the book as an excuse to get rid of a player already on thin ice.
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When asked by Scholes on the Football's Greatest Eras podcast which of Ferguson's dismissals was the harshest, Butt responded: "I think Jaap [Stam] was the biggest one.
"Only because Jaap was in his pomp, and he still had many years to go. I don't think Jaap was the kind of person to do what he got accused of doing."
"You shouldn't really do a book when you're still playing; that was his mistake," Scholes retorted, with Butt continuing. "No, I don't think you should. But, how he said it about certain players that wouldn't verbally come out of Jaap's mouth, he was a good man Jaap, a good lad."
Scholes then revealed his true thoughts on the infamous departure, suggesting: "I always wondered whether the manager used the book thing as a bit of an excuse to get rid of you - to fast-forward it a little bit.
"He went on to Lazio and AC Milan; he was an amazing player. Again, that's when he maybe felt Jaap was going against team ethics and team principles. I don't think any of the team ever thought that."
Roy Keane's sudden dismissal and clash with Ferguson in 2005 on the back of an interview that scathed his peers may have been the expected list-topper, but the ex-United pair weren't as taken aback by the incident, reports the Mirror.
"You can imagine them two going at it [Keane and Ferguson]," Butt added. "That's why I don't think that was as much of a shock as Jaap.
"I reckon Jaap would have gone a bit more submissive with the manager and apologised and explained. Whereas, I know Roy would have gone 'bang', like two bulls at each other banging heads. I can see why that got to where it got to, but Jaap was the biggest one for me."