Petr Cech has spoken about the respect that he has for former Manchester United compatriots

Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech has spoken about the respect that he has for former Manchester United compatriots like Edwin van Der Sar and Peter Schmeichel.

United have enjoyed some of the best goalkeepers in the world over the years. David de Gea maybe someone who is next on the list if he continues on this form. Cech’s performances may have gone down since he suffered the skull injury, but he is still thought of as one of the top goalkeepers in the world. After contributing immensely to the club’s 2-1 win over Manchester City on Monday night, the Czech Republic shot stopper spoke about his admiration for Premier League greats like Van Der Sar.

Cech was expecting a special night since a clean sheet would have helped them break David James’ clean sheet record. Cech only recently equalled this record of 169 league clean sheets following the 2-0 win over Aston Villa in the previous week. The goal by Yaya Touré was a very special one. Even though Arsenal got the victory that they have so craved against a top team, it was a personally disappointing night for Cech. Still, the record is only one clean sheet away and the 31-year-old is hoping to achieve this figure when Arsenal are against Southampton on Boxing Day.

“I have to say, when I was a kid I looked up to every goalkeeper.I tried to pick up the pieces and make a puzzle of all the best skills of different goalkeepers.If you looked at Oliver Kahn and his character. He was so important, so aggressive and living the game.If you look at Peter Schmeichel and his overall presence and his saves. Then Edwin van der Sar was very important for Ajax.I try to take the best of everyone for myself and work on things I can improve,” said Cech.

Wayne Rooney has expressed his happiness at seeing his former teammate Cristiano Ronaldo

Wayne Rooney has expressed his happiness at seeing his former teammate Cristiano Ronaldo scored a record number of goals for his present club Real Madrid. Ronaldo and Rooney played with each other for several seasons and it was an extremely successful combination too.

The team managed to lift a number of trophies including the second Champions League title for Sir Alex Ferguson in 2008. Ronaldo has since gone on to win one more European title with Madrid in 2014, while the wait for Rooney continues. A major factor in Madrid being successful in the last five years is Ronaldo.

The Portuguese superstar recently matched the tally set by club legend Raul. The Spanish forward has scored more than 300 goals in 700 matches, but it took Ronaldo less than half of these matches in order to overtake this tally. Ronaldo has already received a lot of acclaim for this record and one of those has come from his former teammate, Rooney. The England international only recently became the record goalscorer for the England national team with just under 50 goals. He is also on course to breaking records at United, but those records are put to shame by the achievements of Ronaldo according to Rooney.

The former Everton forward also regards Ronaldo to be on the same level as Lionel Messi.”I think it’s a great achievement. I put something on social media to congratulate him.It’s incredible, really, the amount of goals he’s scored and the number of games he’s played.His achievement deserves to be congratulated and I’m sure there are more goals to come.There are only two players in world football who can achieve those numbers and they are Cristiano and [Lionel] Messi,” said Rooney. Ronaldo and Rooney were teammates for nine years from 2003 to 2009.

Edwin van der Sar remains optimistic for Manchester United even with the possible departure of David de Gea

David de Gea is one of the most coveted players in the entire world of football. The Spanish shot-stopper has displayed his skill at Old Trafford with a number of consistently high level performances for Manchester United and now almost every top club wants to sign him and is willing to spend big bucks to secure his services.

Real Madrid is the club that has shown most interest in signing David de Gea as the Spanish club is looking for a player who can follow the legacy of IkerCasillas and the star player of Manchester United seems to be the perfect candidate.

If David de Gea does leave Old Trafford it will be a huge blow for Manchester United but the former star of the Premier League club believes that they still have life in the club even with the departure of de Gea.

Edwin van der Sar told reporters: “At the start of the season you start with 11 players…nobody is irreplaceable, that’s always the case. There’s been a lot of talk lately and if he wanted to stay he probably would have signed a new contract by now. He came here as a young boy to United, really grew up and became a man and has become a top quality goalkeeper, so he’s in demand. I’m sure United, if David is going to leave, they are going to find a good successor.”

Edwin van der Sar believes that David de Gea is not irreplaceable and even if he does join another club, Manchester United are capable of finding someone else who can fill in his spot and the English side will still be able to cope with his possible absence.

Victor Valdes is someone who is being viewed as a potential replacement as well as Hugo Lloris of Tottenham Hotspur and Jasper Cillessen from Ajax.

Edwin van der Sar is confident that Louis van Gaal can restore the glory days to Manchester United

The departure of Sir. Alex Ferguson was a huge blow for Manchester United as they appointed David Moyes as the successor but the Scottish coach made such a disastrous job that he was sacked after 10 months of being in charge.

The Dutch manager Louis van Gaal has restored balance to Old Trafford as the Premier League club is currently in the top 5 spots of the English League and are competing much better than before but even with this huge improvement that the club has experienced it still isn’t enough for them to win the Premier League title of this season which is in the hands of Chelsea but Edwin van der Sar believes that Louis van Gaal will be able to start winning major titles with Manchester United very soon.

The former star of Manchester United, Edwin van der Sar is certain that Louis van Gaal is capable of turning the Premier League club into the same dominating one that they used to be some time ago but a few changes have to be done and some players have to be signed in order for it to happen.

Edwin voiced his support towards Louis van Gaal as the retired goal-keeper told reporters: “Both Louis and Jose invested in new players last summer, and both of them bought a striker. Mourinho bought Diego Costa and Van Gaal got Falcaoand both players went to England with massive reputations.But there has been one big difference. Mourinho’s striker started scoring goals from day one; Louis’ striker didn’t.’’

“Louis is a great manager. But the advantage Mourinho had was that he already knew what the Premier League is all about.Louis was not able to prepare himself for the highest level in English football and all the things he was going to face.He was involved with the Dutch team for too long at the World Cup.’’

Everything that Edwin van der Sar is indeed true. Mourinho signed Diego Costa in the previous summer transfer window meanwhile Louis van Gaal acquired the services of RadamelFalcao. Costa has been one of the standout performers of this season and Falcao has been disastrous.

If Louis van Gaal is able to sign a reliable attacking source or if Rooney and Van Persie manage to score goals on a consistent basis, it will be a huge boost for Manchester United and help the club in winning major pieces of silverware in the upcoming seasons.

Guus Hiddink may get Fired from Manager Position

Guus Hiddink’s stint as the manager of Netherlands National Football Team boss is just two and half months long, but, it’s on the verge of getting over.

Yes, as weird as it may sound, but, it’s the truth.

Hiddink is feeling quite a bit of heat and he has publicly said that one more defeat would make him send his resignation letter to the Royal Dutch Football Association.

Holland’s slump after the World Cup is quite remarkable. It’s not that a lot of the senior players have suddenly retired and the team has had to go through transition.

Most of the guys are still there, active and playing, but, for some reason, they have not been able to put their acts together on the pitch.

It can’t be the fault of Hiddink alone, but, he seems to be ready to take the full responsibility.
According to Hiddink, the result of the game between Netherlands and Latvia, that is to be played in a couple of days’ time, would decide whether he is staying or not.

Yesterday, Hiddink was quoted saying, “If we are beaten in the next game, I would probably be quitting.”

Latvia is at no. 99 in the official rakings of FIFA at the moment, much below Netherlands and thus, it would be an embarrassment for the Dutch to come second to them. But, that is very much possible given their form these days.

The path was never going to be smooth for Hiddink actually when he took over last year.
The 68-year old was replacing Louis Van Gaal and thus, he was supposed to maintain the level of consistency that the previous Dutch boss had shown during his time, but, it has been an exact opposite of that for Hiddink so far. He just has one win under his belt.

Edwin Praises Rooney for his Continous Performance

Spanish goalkeeper David de Gea maybe proving to be a great goalkeeper in recent months, but he still has a long way to go before he can emulate the achievements of Edwin van Der Sar.

The Dutchman won numerous titles with United, but he has also been highly successful previously in his career. The spell with the likes of Juventus saw him play alongside some of the best footballers in the world like Alessandro del Piero. Recently, the former United goalkeeper was asked to name the best 11 players he has played alongside.

Even though he has played with top strikers like del Piero, Dennis Bergkamp, and David Trezeguet, Edwin van Der Sar decided to go for Wayne Rooney as his striker. Rooney came to United as a teenager and is now the captain of the team. Van Der Sar says that not many people can maintain the longevity as Rooney. The 29-year-old’s position at the club was under speculation during the summer after Louis van Gaal was appointed as the club’s new manager. Due to the Dutchman’s great personal relationship with van Persie, it was a commonly held belief that Rooney would be the second choice behind van Persie.

This has been the case as Van Gaal has gone on to make Rooney as his captain.“He’s still reasonably young. He was 17, 18 when he came to United and I’d been around 10 years at the top level.What he’s done for United and what he’s going to be for them in the future – the records he’s going to break – let’s put Wayne in,” said the former goalkeeper. Edwin van Der Sar also nominated Cristiano Ronaldo for the FIFA Ballon d’Or award. Ronaldo currently holds the title, but he is under pressure from some of the German players who won the World Cup.

Van Der Sar Still Helps Out Old Club

The Dutch retired footballer Edwin van der Sar performed in different leagues around Europe but it was during his time as a player of Manchester United that he managed to make a name for himself and lifted huge European trophies such as: Champions League, Premier League Club World Cup and Premier League. He announced his retirement from playing professional football back in May of 2011 but the former shot-stopper still remains up to date with what is going around in the world of football especially with Manchester United.
Edwin van der Sar is well aware of all the rumors and transfers which is being circulated and linked with his former club Manchester United. The shot-stopper even was one of the first football figures that revealed details concerning the transfer of Daley Blind.
A few weeks before Daley Blind completed his transfer from Ajax to Manchester United, Edwin van der Sar was spotted in one of Manchester United’s training facility in Carrington and his presence fueled speculation about Blind’s move to United as Van Der Sar has been part of the management board of Ajax since 2012 and is believed to have helped the transfer in being finished.
Some years ago when Edwin van der Sar officially decided to hang up his boots and retire, this was a huge blow for Manchester United and supporters of the club as the English team at that point in time did not have a player that could replace the iconic shot-stopper. The Spanish goalkeeper David de Gea is now the man expected to follow the legacy which was left behind by Edwin van der Sar.
Even though the Dutch shot-stopper retired in 2011, he still helps out his former club outside of the pitch by playing an important role in transfers as the Dutchman continues aiding the English team where he lifted his 2nd Champions League title.

Van Der Sar Believes Van Gaal Does Not Need Major Overhaul

Former Manchester United goalkeeper Edwin van Der Sar has claimed that Louis van Gaal does not need major overhauling of the squad at Manchester United. Van Gaal recently took over as the new Manchester United manager David Moyes. The club has already begun work to provide the new manager with an excellent squad by recruiting two players for close to £ 60 million. Luke Shaw and Ander Herrera in the primary arrivals so far, but United do not appear to have been satisfied with their purchases. They have also been linked with Vidal and Angel di Maria in the last few weeks.

Amidst the transfer speculation, Van Der Sar claims that United already have a good squad and that he does not need a complete overhauling. The former Dutch goalkeeper retired from football a few years ago. He is someone who knows van Gaal extremely well after having played with him for several years in the national team. United finished in a disappointing seventh place last season. Since they have a huge list of sponsors who will be demanding success, United are ready to spend big in the hope of competing against the best teams.

Van Der Sar was highly successful at United after winning Champions League and Premier League medals at the club. “Louis van Gaal’s best quality is to create a team and to get a squad playing brilliant football. Over the last few weeks, the United fans have witnessed how he guided this young, inexperienced Dutch squad to the semi-finals – a squad which nobody gave a chance to finish in the top eight. Louis will arrive at Old Trafford with a glowing CV, based on the things he has done in European club football and on this World Cup in Brazil,” said the former goalkeeper about United’s new maanger.

VAN DER SAR HUNGRY FOR MORE

Edwin Van Der Sar says that Manchester United’s recent success is not sufficient for him and is hungry for more. The 39-year-old shot-stopper signed a one-year contract extension at Old Trafford (in the Manchester United Hospitality lounge), meaning he will remain at the club at least until the end of the upcoming campaign.

Edwin Van der Sar is enjoying the twilight of his career and has quashed talk that he is in a hurry to retire.

He said: “I have been hearing these questions for the last three or four years. Sometimes you surprise yourself also. It is a great club to be at.

“You play in the Premier League, the Champions League, you have a chance of winning titles and trophies and competing against the best players in the league.

“It is something that is too good not to do it any more. I still very much enjoy it. Even my age it is still a pleasure to put in all the hard work so you are in the starting XI on a Saturday and a Tuesday night.”

The experienced Dutch keeper is set to stay as United’s No.1 this season, and will continue to be backed up by Tomasz Kuszczak.

UNITED CLOSE TO SIGNING VAN DER SAR SUCCESSOR

Lindegaard is close to making his Man United move as Edwin Van Der Sar’s successor, it has been revealed. The 26-year-old Lindegaard was reportedly having a medical with the English powerhouse on Friday and could be the long-term successor to Edwin van der Sar if the Dutch veteran retires as expected at the end of the season.

Lindegaard initially joined Aalesund on loan from Odense last year but signed a permanent contract afterward. He has played four times for Denmark and is the regular backup for long-term No. 1 Thomas Sorensen.

The 193-cm (6-foot-6) Lindegaard told Friday’s edition of the Ekstra Bladet newspaper that any deal with Manchester United won’t be completed until Monday. He will not be able to join the club officially until the transfer window opens on Jan. 1.