Edwin van der Sar spent six hugely successful seasons at Manchester United (four Premier League titles, one Champions League title and one League Cup) during his illustrious playing career, and the big Dutch goalkeeper-turned-club-executive says in no uncertain terms that he’s open to returning to Old Trafford as the director of football.
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“Of course I’d be interested in a position,” Van der Sar said this weekend when asked about rumors of the 48-year-old potentially becoming the chief decision maker at Man United.
Van der Sar, who’s currently the CEO of his first professional club, Ajax, comes across as a true football romantic in speaking about the two clubs with which he’s most commonly associated. While it sounds like Ajax is something of a dream job for him, a job the size of Man United sounds like the real end goal — quotes from Sports Illustrated:
“Besides my family, my wife and kids and everything I have two loves in my life. That’s Ajax, who gave me the opportunity to develop, they scouted me, they gave me the chance to shine in the world of football.
“And the last club of my career (Manchester United) also gave me a lot of attention, recognition and everything, developed at a later stage. And of course, I’d be interested in a position.”
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“I need to learn a little more here [at Ajax], develop myself further and eventually let’s see what the future brings. United is a fantastic club, there’s a great following all over the world. Everybody wants to play for them and eventually, work for them.”
United have reportedly been on the hunt for a director of football since the summer of 2018, when chief executive Ed Woodward was said to have conceded some of his power as the club continued to struggle in the years since Sir Alex Ferguson‘s departure. With a squad in desperate need of a top-down rebuild, would United appeal to Van der Sar’s interests in the short-term, or would he rather wait for someone else to clean up the current mess and take over decision-making duties once the club is on more stable footing?
