Former Manchester United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar has shut down rumors linking him to a possible move back to Old Trafford at board level as the Red Devils look to complete their overhaul from top to bottom during the 2022-23 Premier League season.
The Netherlands icon, who received 130 national team caps in conjunction with a highly decorated club career that included eight league wins between the Premier League and Eredivisie, as well as two Champions League winners medals – one each with United and AFC Ajax – enjoys a strong connection to the Theatre of Dreams on the back of six influential seasons with the club before retiring from football in 2010-11.
Since then, Van der Sar has carved out an impressive CV during a ten-year stay with Ajax as marketing director – a role he was given in November of 2012 – before being promoted to CEO four years later and where he remains at the time of writing.
But, as ever, the allure of United looms – or so the club is hoping – after Van der Sar has continued to be linked with a return to England, and the deal to bring Erik ten Hag to the Premier League could offer another feather in the club’s cap to paint themselves as a more attractive offer than his current employers.
Edwin Van der Sar on Manchester Utd links as director: “I just renewed my contract for another three years here at Ajax”, tells @TheAthleticFC 🔴 #MUFC
“I’ve been here 10 years, I enjoy my life here — I like Ajax. We will see what happens in the future”. pic.twitter.com/FsyfDER4TL
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) November 18, 2022
That possibility has been pushed to the side by the Voorhout native, however, when the 52-year-old stated “I just renewed my contract for another three years here at Ajax. I have been here 10 years, I enjoy my life here – I like Ajax. We will see what happens in the future.”
Under his role at the club, Ajax continued to develop and recruit talent at a phenomenal rate while also giving Ten Hag the platform for his own progression on the touchline as a highly-touted manager.
With United looking to get back to the tip of the spear in the top flight of English football, the capture of Van der Sar at the executive level could certainly be a step in the right direction if any potential deal materializes somewhere down the line.
