Dutch hero Ronald De Boer was sorry to see AZ Alkmaar struggling for media coverage going into last night's Europa League defeat at Manchester United.

An Eredivisie title contender this season, AZ lost 4-0 last night - though still qualified for the round of 32 with United.

"It's kind of like AZ looking downwards," said Milan van Dongen, a Dutch TV presenter, from Old Trafford. "There was not a single journalist at the AZ press conference, while just before that at the Manchester United press conference: dozens of camera crews, hundreds of journalists, you name it. So it shows that it is not taken too seriously."

De Boer knows that AZ is not an appealing name abroad.

"That is how it works, who the f*** is AZ?," laments De Boer. "If you call AZ Alkmaar abroad, they say: 'Who, what?'

"But that also makes sense, AZ is now starting to get a bit in the Netherlands. They are given status, with players who play attractive football. But AZ doesn't mean anything abroad."