Former goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar is Manchester United’s preferred choice to become their new Director of Football.
The 48 year old Dutchman is currently Chief Executive of Ajax, and is an influential figure on the board of the European Club Association.
Now United want to turn to their former player as the man to help manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer with the implementation of his transfer strategy because of his contacts, and also knowledge of the game, as well as his existing affinity with the club.
Van der Sar joined United in 2005 from Fulham and, in a six year career at Old Trafford, he made 266 games for Sir Alex Ferguson’s side, helping them win four Premier League titles, the League Cup, and the Champions League in 200.
If an offer is made to him, van der Sar will face a dilemma. Having helped guide Ajax back to being one of the elite clubs in Europe again, to leave now may be regarded as a betrayal by some of the club’s fans. There are also health concerns over his wife, Annemarie, who is recovering from the brain haemorrhage she suffered a decade ago.
Andy is an exiled English football fan living in Cyprus. He loves all sports but football is his abiding passion, and he still has dreams every now and then about scoring the winning goal in a Wembley Cup Final, even though his playing days are long gone. He follows most major leagues, across Europe at least, and has a favoured team in each. When he’s not watching, listening, reading or downloading podcasts about football, he spend his time worrying about his beloved Arsenal.