Van Der Sar Keen To Keep Going

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Champions League: Manchester United - Chelsea London, van der Sar (PA)

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Dutchman Edwin Van der Sar has enjoyed a highly successful career and added a Champions League and Premier League double to his already bulging trophy cabinet last season.

Yet the Manchester United stopper has come in for criticism for his displays from some quarters this season and also has to contend with huge competition for his place at Old Trafford, with both Tomasz Kuszczak and Ben Foster vying for the number one jersey.

Yet despite this, the Red Devil insists he has no current plans to retire and admits he is happy to continue playing.

“It goes by in a flash,” he said, speaking to the Daily Telegraph, “At 24, I thought 'how long will I go on? To 34. Ten years will be fine'. When I came to 34, I was still enjoying it, still fit, and I wanted to play on.”

The United stopper also insisted he loved his job and refused to take credit for a long playing career, insisting team-mate Ryan Giggs was more deserving of praise. 

“It's the best job in the world,” he confessed. “But what Ryan Giggs is doing, as an outfield player, is more of an achievement than a goalkeeper.”

Van der Sar also insisted that he was happy at Manchester United, where he has spent three years since arriving from Fulham. He concluded: “I am happy. The most important thing is to get the credit from the players and manager and that they are happy.”

Gill Clark