Van der Sar's impending retirement an issue for Ferguson
After the headline news of Wayne Rooney’s desire to leave Manchester United, another issue of concern for Sir Alex Ferguson is Edwin Van de Sar’s retirement. Expected to happen by the end of this season, Ferguson is now under the
gun to find a class replacement for the goalkeeper.
Van Der Sar’s blunder gave West Brom an easy chance to score as the ball went straight to midfielder Somen Tchoyi and caused the united fans an embarrassing defeat. However, the Dutchman’s error was not a first, having let his
team down before. The Dutchman though, has always been a top notch goal keeper, probably the reason why the Man U Manager defended his goal keeper’s unusual blunder. Van der Sar who is going to turn 40 later this month is considered to be an experienced pair
of hands and has helped Manchester United repeatedly , guarding and taking them to the top of the various leagues and two Champions League finals.
But this glorious journey between one of the best teams in the world and certainly one of the best goal keepers is likely to draw to a close next summer and this tells us why Ferguson will be setting his eyes on the transfer window.
It would be a difficult task at hand for the Manager but fortunately for him, he has a lot of options to choose from the list of world class goal keepers within Europe.
In the top slot in Manchester United’s radar is another Dutch goalkeeper, Maarten Stekelenburg currently playing at Ajax. There have been reports of his linking up with Old Trafford on the personal suggestion of Van Der Sar himself.
Stekelenburg, who had a great influence on the position of the Dutch team in the World Cup with his key stops, will be costing around £7M for the transfer. With Ajax in need of funds, there is a great possibility that Ferguson might sign Stekelenburg as the
new goalkeeper for his team.
Another stopper from the Norwegian league, Anders Lindegaard has also been receiving attention from United. The 26 year old Dutchman who plays for Aalesunds Fk would certainly be costing Ferguson a lot cheaper than most of the
other considerations. Shay Given is another experienced Premier League goalkeeper. The Irishman is one of the most respected keepers in the country and United is definitely interested but will be facing a lot of tough competition as United’s rivals Arsenal
and Celtic are also keeping an eye on the Irish superstar.
Another target in sight could possibly be the long lasting admired goal keeper CSKA Moscow’s Igor Afinkeev. The 24 year old Russian keeper has a lot of saves and more than 50 caps. He earned a great reputation for himself. During
the transfer window he is expected to cost more or less £15M. Although, Ferguson has plenty of options to choose from but the worrying news of Wayne Rooney’s leaving United has put Ferguson under great pressure. It is difficult for him to make a tough decision
as it is not easy to represent a great team like Man Utd.
Stekelenburg and Lindegaard are the top most priorities of the Red Devils Manager as the transfer window opens in January, 2011. Nevertheless, Van Der Sar has been and always been an inspiration and has played a significance part
in every game United has played during his tenure. He is considered to be a legend of the current generation of goalkeepers and now United has to look forward to replace him with someone who can live up to the task and the club name.
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