"It is good that a man like Ferguson dares to admit that he makes mistakes.
"It doesn't surprise me, though. I always knew for myself that United made an error by selling me.
"I know that this is the same feeling for many people around the club, from colleagues to fans.
"When I speak with people I hear they should never have let me go."
Stam acknowledges that his book played a part:
"Until that transfer I learned to know Ferguson as a man who thinks along fixed lines, who always handles interests of the club.
"In the weeks surrounding my departure the relationship became difficult.
"My biography played a role for sure, because the club needed to sell it to the fans that I could leave Manchester United.
"That book became the stick to hit me with, you could say."
* Ferguson admitted to his mistake earlier this week during a function in Glasgow.
The Observer's Paul Wilson:
Interesting as it was to hear Sir Alex Ferguson finally admit he made a mistake over Jaap Stam and felt he lost David Beckham when he married into the entertainment business, the shock value was limited because anyone with half an eye on Old Trafford these last few years would have suspected as much.
So let's have some suggestions for discussion the next time Fergie feels like unburdening himself to a friendly Scottish audience. We could all do with hearing more of his opinions on Sven-Goran Eriksson's opportunism, Roy Keane's punditry and Arsene Wenger's buffet redistribution, though quite often the minutiae can be just as entertaining. Did he really think Laurent Blanc was the answer? Where was Juan Sebastian Veron supposed to play in a team that already boasted Keane and Paul Scholes? And who on earth put him on to Eric Djemba-Djemba?
The last has just gone out to play in Qatar, meaning he could turn up at Hull City anytime soon. He might as well, since - old joke alert - there is now no point in signing for MK Dons. Djemba You're a Womble will just have to remain one of the great unchanted chants.