Edwin van der Sar insists David de Gea 'must deal' with pressure if he is to become a Manchester United success

The retired goalkeeper believes the Spainard needs to show a strong mentality to prove himself worthy of wearing the Old Trafford shirt

7 Feb 2012 15:32:00

By Shane Farrington

More On :  Manchester United, David de Gea, Edwin van der Sar
David De Gea, Manchester United
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Former Manchester United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar has told his replacement David de Gea that he needs to learn to deal with pressure in order to become a success at Old Trafford.

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41-year-old called time on his playing career last summer, prompting Red Devils boss Sir Alex Ferguson to splash out £18million to bring De Gea to the club.

Since joining from Atletico Madrid, the youngster’s performances have come under intense scrutiny but the veteran revealed that the Spaniard will need to become accustomed to the weight of expectation.

“It's always difficult if you're coming into a new club and new league, especially the English one,” Van der Sar told reporters. “It's a very demanding one, can be a very tough one.

“He has to deal with that. They paid a lot of money for him and he has to come through that.”

The Dutchman also revealed he has been impressed with United’s other goalkeeping option Anders Lindegaard, who is currently sidelined through injury.

He added: “I spoke to Anders and he's disappointed of course, that he's injured at the moment because he's really been magnificent."

In addition, Van der Sar admitted there is no chance of him coming out of retirement in the future, but insists that he was not surprised by Paul Scholes recent U-turn.

He said: “I got a few text messages from friends saying, "What about you?" I'm quite happy at the moment. There's no doubt in my mind.

“I was at Carrington and he was watching a training session and I said, "So, how do you like it?". He said, "Not really. I miss it".

“He was still there doing his work as an assistant coach with the reserve team so it was probably a little bit easier to get back in.”

After enjoying a trophy-filled spell with the club, the Dutchman is confident United have what it takes to pip their bitter local rivals Manchester City and claim another Premier League crown.

He added: “I think United have had a reasonably strong, competitive last month.

“I see the qualities United have and the tactics Ferguson can deploy. Hopefully that can be enough for another title.”

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