It's great to have people talking about the club again, to reinvent and get to know Ajax again.

I get great respect from the United fans and the directors and the people who are there still when you go there. It is a very warm club, very comparable to Ajax, only they have grown internationally amazingly.

You try and learn from clubs where you have been or actions clubs are taking to grow in certain markets, and that, for myself, is also important.

At certain times, you start to - maybe not lose the faith - but just wonder how long it will take until someone picks me up. I was thinking, 'Is it just me? Do I think I'm better than any manager does?'

Diehards know what Ajax is about, but you always need a new following, and if you are not successful, it is difficult.

You want to build your own team for the highest level, and that happens more with teams that stay together.

A lot of clubs have lost the perspective of what is a football club.

Personally, I would never criticise a player in public.

I've never had the experience of 10 years at Unilever and five years at Coca Cola. But I'm not the marketing director who only wants 25 per cent a year on the revenues. In the old days, you sold something, and you would be happy. At Ajax, we thought we needed more from that than selling a seat and making five grand.

We accept that, in one way now, if you are 27, 28 and still playing for Ajax, you are probably not good enough for the top of Europe because players want to go to the top in Europe.

If I see something right, I say so.

I don't think there was a single United player from 2009 who could say he gave it everything and played well.

I signed for Ajax in 1989 when I was still at school.

I was in two successive European finals early in my career, so initially, you think that sort of thing is going to happen regularly. Then suddenly, it dries up, and before you know it, 13 years have passed before you get your next chance.

Sometimes I miss European football.

Every time I hear that Champions League song, it reminds me of hearing it for the first time in the old Olympic Stadium in Amsterdam.

If you go to Juventus, you want to go for longer than two years, and you want to win titles.

I remember, when I was 24, I said 34 was going to be the limit I will play to. But as everyone says, the older you get, the longer you want to go on because it gives you so much satisfaction.

It's always best if you can leave with a good memory.

I accept that I didn't play very well in Italy for the two years. It was lower than my Ajax standard. I don't know why.

You know you're in for a tough time if you're trailing and the other teams are doing well.

Craven Cottage is a great stadium, really traditional, going through the rows of houses until a stadium suddenly appears.

I always said I wanted to finish my career back at Ajax, but I didn't think I was going to play for so long at such a high level, so that's not going to happen now.

Of course that's Ajax development, giving young players a chance.

When you see Sir Alex arguing with referees and linesmen, he is showing passion that has taken him to the very highest level of the game.

When I see the kind of passion Sir Alex shows, it is hard to believe he is about to celebrate his 71st birthday.

I think every player gives a bit extra when he sees that his manager is fighting, too.

I remember that, often, Mike Phelan would just nip down to the touchline for a message to one or two players. It was usually just a tactical thing. But when Sir Alex comes to the touchline, all the players know that it's serious stuff.

It is almost impossible to orchestrate the farewell you desire. That is something only a few people manage to do.

Matthijs is very mature for his age: he has the physique of a 24-year-old. He is also strong with both feet, has an extremely good range of passing, can head the ball, scores goals, and is a real leader at the back already at the age of 18.

Off the field, Ronaldo was also focusing on everything extensively, such as resting up properly and strengthening his body. After training sessions, he would often work on his free-kicks and then come to me and say, 'Edwin, can you go in goal?'

Celtic and Ajax are great names in history. They both have great followings all over the world, not just in Holland and Scotland.

United is a special place.

The FA Cup is the oldest cup competition in the world. Players are keen and willing to play in these games.

I think England's always good at making something special.

I can't sleep at night when I think about the FA Cup!

It's hard for the older boys to play twice a week, so it's important for everyone in the squad to play their part.

I have won things in my career, and people ask why that's not enough. But there can always be more.

It's always difficult if you're coming into a new club and new league, especially the English one. It's a very demanding one, can be a very tough one.

We want to bring our own players through. That is what people like about Ajax.

United is a much bigger challenge than Ajax. They're not just a big and famous club but also a worldwide brand, yet when you're inside, it's still a family place.

I think there are always a lot of rumours about players from Ajax. We develop great players, not only in Amsterdam but hopefully also in Cape Town, and there is interest in a lot of our players, but we like to keep them for as long as possible.

I am not worried about being a legend, like Solskjaer; you do your bit, and that's what counts.

The leagues in the countries around us are probably more interesting and played at a higher level, but in general, we are happy with the way we have moved things forward with Ajax, together with Marc Overmars as technical director, to establish a squad that can compete at the highest level.

You see the strength of the Spanish league, the Premier League, Germany, France, and Italy. The TV revenues are so much higher in those countries.

I am 40 years old, but I still feel fit.

My career record was 5-2 in penalty shootouts.

Playing is the biggest thing there is.

Nothing can replicate the thrill of making a great save at an away ground, or hearing your own fans cheering you, or the atmosphere when you score a goal or win a big game.

I'm not going back to Amsterdam, though it would be very comfortable there with Frank de Boer, Danny Blind, and Dennis Bergkamp. When I left 12 years ago, I said I would return, but I did not know then what great years I would have with Manchester United. I might occasionally visit training with them, but I will not be going regularly.