da bet7k： With Manchester United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar due to retire at the end of the season, it leaves manager Sir Alex Ferguson with another goalkeeping predicament much like he had when Peter Schmeichel left the club in 1999.
da esoccer bet： Fergie found it tough replacing the Danish keeper, with the likes of Fabien Barthez, Raymond van der Gouw, Mark Bosnich and Tim Howard all having a shot at making the number 1 jersey a permanent position at Old Trafford, but failing to deliver. Younger ‘keepers have also come and gone between the sticks, with Roy Carroll and Ben Foster signed with the promise of being goalkeepers for the future, but eventually being sold on.
Foster in particular has been impressive in goal for Birmingham City in the Premier League and also lifted a trophy at Wembley for the Blues this season. Should he have been given more of a chance at Old Trafford? Possibly, but it’s harder to develop younger players for the specialist positions as match experience is crucial to their development.
Van der Sar has had an excellent season for United so far and a replacement won’t come easy for Sir Alex, but should he choose to invest on outfield players in the summer (particularly in midfield) like it has been suggested, could VDS’ understudies make the step up?
Not in the case of Tomasz Kuszczak, who announced recently that he will be leaving Old Trafford at the end of the season when his contract expires. The Polish goalkeeper who kept a clean sheet against Fulham on Saturday, feels he needs to leave if he is to play regular first team football. He commented: “I’ve worked hard for five years but I never played as much as I wanted. It’s a shame the manager didn’t really give me a chance. I always believed I can be Edwin van der Sar’s successor. Unfortunately, Sir Alex has decided differently.”
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It may have been tough for Kuszczak to be left in van der Sar’s shadow, but it’s clear that Ferguson never saw him as a regular first team goalkeeper for the club. Whilst Kuszczak is on his way out, that just leaves Anders Lindegaard, signed by United last November.
The Dane may share the same nationality as the Red Devils’ former keeper, but can he make the same impact? At 26, he’s still developing as a player, especially in goal and having only experienced the Danish and Norweigan leagues, it’d be hard to see him being first choice for the next few seasons.
That leaves Sir Alex Ferguson having to sign a new goalkeeper in the summer. With many top ‘keepers rumoured to be making the switch, it will be very interesting to see who wears the gloves in goal for United at the start of the 2011/2012 season.
Should the veteran manager go for a goalie with plenty of experience, like he did with van der Sar? A few out-of-the-box rumours have linked out of favour goalie, Shay Given from the Blue side of Manchester to make the switch. But would it be a good move? Given has been a top ‘keeper for many years in the Premier League until a bad shoulder injury and Joe Hart’s impact have left him warming the bench.
Maybe van der Sar has advised Ferguson on who he should buy, and like a few people have suggested before me, the Dutch ‘keeper, Maarten Stekelenburg from Ajax could be a great signing. The 28 year old has got experience in the Champions League and International football which will be a necessity.
Or, Fergie may go for a younger ‘keeper with potential and a long term plan by signing David de Gea from Atletico Madrid or Igor Akinfeev at CSKA Moscow, who has impressed the manager in the past.
Whoever he signs, it could prove to be United’s most important purchase in the summer without the reliability and experience, as well as the outstanding ability that Edwin van der Sar has given United in goal over the last few seasons.
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