Man Utd wise to pursue Edwin van der Sar for director of football role
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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…
According to The Daily Mirror, Manchester United are considering Edwin van der Sar to be the club’s director of football.
What’s the word?
Reports in recent weeks and months have suggested the Red Devils are on the look-out for former players to join the club’s hierarchy as they bid to shake things up behind the scenes.
Names like Rio Ferdinand and Darren Fletcher had been mentioned, and now The Daily Mirror claim Van der Sar is “high up on United’s list”.
The ex-Netherlands goalkeeper is currently chief executive at Ajax and has helped the Dutch side to incredible success in recent seasons, most notably their run to the Champions League semi-final last year.
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The report adds however that health issues with his wife have stopped him from moving abroad in the past, and could potentially scupper a move this time too.
Proven experience
Whilst Ferdinand and Fletcher have an established reputation at Old Trafford following their playing careers, neither have the same kind of experience Van der Sar has when it comes to the actual skills for the director of football role.
The Dutchman’s time at Ajax has been an unprecedented success, and he has played a key part in the Dutch side’s revival. The team’s emphasis on youth and attacking football was much-lauded last season, and is exactly the kind of template United are looking to build.
Someone like Ferdinand may be the more romantic choice. After all, he speaks his mind and certainly connects with the Red Devils’ fan-base. But other than sitting on a chair in a TV studio, what has he actually done to stake a claim for a role of such high importance? The logical option would be to turn to Van der Sar, and if Ed Woodward can convince him to return to the club, then it will be a major coup.
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