The Dutch national team’s first season with United went like a dream, quickly adapting to life under the guidance of Sir Alex Ferguson.
He admits that the team spirit was sensational within the field: “In my first year, it was very, very good. Maybe the best I’ve ever seen. Why Rio [Ferdinand], he had one of his bans, so he wasn’t allowed to drive, so I was his taxi driver for about six months because we lived next to each other.
“What he also tells you about the team spirit, every single lap, he continued to play football, to win. How are we going to beat the next team, about the team process, who is doing well, who needs help? We always asked questions. It was always about winning in the end. We had to find ways to help each other, to trigger each other, to win.
“Off the pitch, if things like that happen. He’s like 27 players, everyone has a lot of money, everyone thinks he’s the best player. But everyone was comfortable. Everyone was comfortable with their place on the team. Everyone accepted it too. When you realize that – as a team, as a coach, as players – then you are always competing for a trophy. Because this is the most difficult thing to actually happen on a team where everyone is on the same page and everyone is breathing football and everyone is talking about it. Almost a goal: to win together.
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