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Edwin van der Sar: I never expected my Manchester United career to last as long as this
Dutch goalkeeper expected 'two-year' stay at Old Trafford...
6 May 2010 17:20:00
By Neil Jones
Manchester United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar has revealed his surprise at seeing his career at Old Trafford last so long.
The 39-year-old recently extended his stay at United by another year, but says that when he joined the club in 2005 after leaving Fulham, he expected to be there for no more than a couple of seasons.
"I still believed I was doing enough to play for a bigger team but you need someone to take a gamble, which Sir Alex Ferguson did," van der Sar told Inside United.
"At the time I was 34 so I didn't expect to be here six years.
"I thought that I would be at United for two years and then maybe go and do something else. Instead I am steadily trying to reach my testimonial!"
The Dutchman remains first-choice under Sir Alex Ferguson despite the presence of younger 'keepers such as Ben Foster and Tomas Kuszczak, and will continue in the United goal beyond his 40th birthday after agreeing a contract extension.
Van der Sar says the decision to stay was made only after consultation with his wife, Annemarie, who was diagnosed with a serious illness last year, causing the former Juventus star to miss more than a month of action.
"It was important my wife felt okay with it," he said.
"If she had said she would rather go back to Holland then we would have done that.
The 39-year-old recently extended his stay at United by another year, but says that when he joined the club in 2005 after leaving Fulham, he expected to be there for no more than a couple of seasons.
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"I still believed I was doing enough to play for a bigger team but you need someone to take a gamble, which Sir Alex Ferguson did," van der Sar told Inside United.
"At the time I was 34 so I didn't expect to be here six years.
"I thought that I would be at United for two years and then maybe go and do something else. Instead I am steadily trying to reach my testimonial!"
The Dutchman remains first-choice under Sir Alex Ferguson despite the presence of younger 'keepers such as Ben Foster and Tomas Kuszczak, and will continue in the United goal beyond his 40th birthday after agreeing a contract extension.
Van der Sar says the decision to stay was made only after consultation with his wife, Annemarie, who was diagnosed with a serious illness last year, causing the former Juventus star to miss more than a month of action.
"It was important my wife felt okay with it," he said.
"If she had said she would rather go back to Holland then we would have done that.
"But I had made up my mind in December that I would keep playing and join the other old boys, who keep on going.
"My position is not as demanding as Paul [Scholes] and Ryan [Giggs], who have had to run and tackle a lot. But the main thing is we are all still enjoying it."
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