Sir Alex Ferguson believes Edwin van der Sar will be a hard act to follow
Praises for Edwin van der Sar are pouring in from all corners after the veteran announced that he would be calling it a day at the end of the season. Sir Alex Ferguson said that he feels very lucky to have worked with two of the
best goalkeepers in the world (Peter Schmeichel and Van der Sar). The 40-year-old is still in top form and is putting in one good performance after another. Van der Sar believes that he should leave when people say why rather than why not. He added that another
season may be a bit too much for him, even though he is certain that fitness wise he would be able to go on for another season.
This means that Ferguson will have to act fast in search of a successor, just as the United boss had to do when Peter Schmeichel parted ways with the club back in ’99 after the treble-winning season. At the time it would have been
perfect for Ferguson to sign Edwin van der Sar from Ajax, but Schmeichel’s exit was followed by trial and error for 6 years that saw 10 keepers come and go before Sir Alex finally managed to get his hands on Edwin van der Sar from Fulham in 2005.
"We hope we are better organised about it this time," said Ferguson. “There will always be a comparison between Peter and Edwin. In my time those two were the outstanding goalkeepers, not just at our club, but in their entire careers,”
he added, praising both goalies.
Ferguson said that it is clear that whoever comes in place of Van der Sar will have some pretty big shoes (or rather: gloves) to fill. "If you look at the career that Edwin's had, I think it's four Champions League finals, three
World Cups, a fantastic career he's had. Peter of course, as everyone recognized at the time was the best goalkeeper in the world, so I've been very fortunate having two magnificent goalkeepers."
When van der Sar came to Old Trafford, he was handed a 2 year contract, and no one could have imagined that he would last 6 seasons. The arrival of Van der Sar also coincided with one of the most productive periods for Manchester
United. Chelsea were making a serious bid to become the next big force in English football, and United were in a rebuilding phase and trying hard to win back their crown. The Red Devils went on to win 3 back-to-back titles and also equalled Liverpool’s record
of 18 league titles. Manchester United also made it to back to back UEFA Champions League finals; they beat http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Chelsea-c38786 in 2008 but failed to defend their title and were beaten by Barcelona in 2009.
Ferguson said that Edwin is one of the most professional players he has ever worked with. The United boss added that apart from his ability between the posts, Edwin is a fantastic influence on the players around him. He went on
to say that with his experience, players look up to him and the way he conducts himself is exemplary.
Sir Alex said that he would love for Edwin to stay on for another season, but added that “he's had a fantastic career, a special man, really special. But he made the point himself: it is pointless trying to be superman into your
40s. It is one of the sad parts of my job that you get to the stage where age takes over."
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