Jaap Stam believes that Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal can win trophies at the club if he is given time.
Stam played for United between 1998 and 2001 -- and also featured under Van Gaal for Netherlands' national team. Dutchman Van Gaal was in charge of the Netherlands team between 2000 and 2002, while Stam was a player, before taking charge of his country again from 2012 to 2014.
Stam played in the 1999 Champions League final, when United defeated Bayern Munich to complete a season in which the club also won the Premier League title and the FA Cup.
The former centre-back went on to win the title again in 2000 and 2001 -- as United became champions for three years in a row -- before leaving after his relationship with former manager Sir Alex Ferguson broke down.
Despite United having won nothing yet under Van Gaal, who is in his second season in charge, Stam still has confidence in the manager.
Stam told the Daily Mail: "I've worked under Van Gaal for the national team -- he is a very good manager. He has proven at Ajax, Barcelona and Bayern Munich that, if you give him time, he will get results and win prizes."
The 43-year-old also urged fans to move on from the days of Ferguson. He said: "It's easy to talk about what happened 15 or 20 years ago. But the way of playing has changed. A lot of managers think more tactically because there's a lot more money at stake."
Nemanja Vidic, another former United centre-back who won the Champions League with the club, also thinks these are hard times for modern managers who are following in Ferguson's footsteps.
The Serbian, who played in the 2008 Champions League final win over Chelsea, said that there has been more pressure on David Moyes and Van Gaal because of the scrutiny on them.
Discussing playing in the Moyes era, Vidic told BBC Sport: "We felt the new manager would get time. But, after one month, the pressure started.
"It was twice the pressure we had under Ferguson. People questioned David Moyes -- and now Louis van Gaal -- in a way they never would have done before.
"Moyes changed certain things. Some players asked why. But that is a natural reaction. The media said it was a problem. It was never a problem. He tried hard, but it didn't happen. The pressure increased even more.
"When you are manager of a club like United, in the time we live, no one gives anyone time to achieve anything. Those outside forces created a bad energy. When that happens it reflects on the team and the fans and it becomes a problem."