Edwin van der Sar has revealed that he could also be focused on changing Ed Woodward at Manchester United when the present vice-president resigns at the top of the 12 months.
Woodward’s departure got here within the wake of the European Tremendous League scandal, which suggests United can be in search of somebody new to run the membership in the approaching months.
Ed Woodward resigns as vice chairman of Man Utd at the top of 2021 | Craig Mercer / MB Media / Getty Photographs
Van der Sar has been the managing director of Ajax since 2016, after beginning to return to his former membership as advertising director at the top of 2012, simply over a 12 months after he retired from enjoying for United.
The previous goalkeeper has been hailed as one in every of the highest executives at the moment working in European soccer in recent times and was repeatedly linked with a return to Outdated Trafford when United appeared for a soccer director or technical supervisor, earlier than deciding on inner promotions.
However now that the highest job is opening, Van der Sar’s title has been put within the body once more. As well as, he appears glad to keep up it, citing Ajax and United because the solely two golf equipment he would really feel comfy working for as a result of of his particular connection to every.
“That is nothing new to me, my title has been circulating there for a very long time,” Van der Sar instructed ESPN about rumors linking him to United.
Van der Sar has been linked with numerous senior positions at Man Utd for just a few years Soccrates Photographs / Getty Photographs
“[With] work and strain, you need to have a sense with the membership … I is not going to work at a membership the place I actually have no feeling. I might solely do that for Ajax or United. I’d not work for some other golf equipment. “
To this point, nevertheless, there was no contact from Outdated Trafford.
“I’m simply glad with how we’re doing [developed] Ajax in recent times, “he added. We had ambitions 10 years in the past to achieve the highest of Europe. We’ve got reached it. We needed to work actually arduous, now we have no wealthy homeowners and the federal government didn’t assist us. ”
Van der Sar would actually be a standard assembly for United followers. He was a crucial a part of the membership’s success within the late 2000s, profitable 4 Premier League titles in six years, as effectively because the 2008 Champions League and enjoying in two extra finals.
Van der Sar was essential to Man Utd’s success within the late 2000s ADRIAN DENNIS / Getty Photographs
The Dutchman would additionally be a giant hit with supporters like “the soccer man”.
Conversely, Woodward is a skilled accountant and former funding banker who had no soccer background earlier than becoming a member of United in 2005. And though he has had nice success in his earlier position because the membership’s business supervisor and apparently has monumental enterprise and monetary perception, he has has largely been blamed for the decline in the sphere after 2013.
It is barely an ongoing restructuring since 2019 that has introduced United again on its former path. The most recent replace of this was the advertising of John Murtough and Darren Fletcher for the roles of soccer director and technical supervisor, respectively, which strengthened the soccer enterprise.
Whether or not co-chair Joel and Avram Glazer desire a new enterprise chief to switch Woodward, or would take into account a individual like Van der Sar, will in the end form the search.
For extra from Jamie Spencer, observe him on Twitter and Fb!
