Van der Sar: 'De Gea can be replaced'
Man Utd goalkeeper legend warns his junior David de Gea has not yet reached the level of being irreplaceable at Old Trafford.
"De Gea needs to make a quick decision about extending his contract. I'm not the boss of Man Utd, but I see this has been discussed for a long time, and now, he just has to choose 'yes or' 'no", Edwin van der Sar shared on September 13.
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De Gea has yet to renew his contract due to disagreements with Man Utd over salary. Photo:AP. |
De Gea's contract with Man Utd will expire at the end of this season, but the two sides have not been able to agree on an extension. Man Utd has offered to increase De Gea's weekly salary from the current $260,000 to $445,000. But the 29-year-old goalkeeper wants a minimum of $455,000. If De Gea leaves, Man Utd will suffer a big loss. However, Van der Sar still believes that Man Utd will have many suitable replacements for De Gea.
"There are many other goalkeepers who can fill the void left by De Gea if he leaves. The Premier League has many good goalkeepers who can meet Man Utd's needs in that position. When I was still playing, I came to Man Utd when I was 34 years old. I believe Man Utd still have many opportunities to find a replacement for De Gea," the Dutch player added.
Van der Sar retired and left Man Utd in 2011 after obtaining a Master's degree in Sports Management. He then joined the Ajax board as Marketing Director in November 2012. Since the end of 2016, Van der Sar has been elected CEO of the Amsterdam club. In his managerial role, the former goalkeeper has proven his talent by helping Ajax achieve many successes in training, commerce and sports. Man Utd are said to be impressed with Van der Sar's achievements at Ajax and want him to return to Old Trafford as Technical Director.
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Van der Sar is highly regarded for his managerial ability, through many successes achieved at Ajax. Photo:REX. |
However, Van der Sar is not ready to leave. He said: "I am enjoying my time at Ajax as CEO. I really want to bring Ajax back to the Champions League, the most prestigious tournament in Europe, where we reached the semi-finals last year."
