Ed could be right man at the right time for the Reds
DURING United’s exhaustive search for its first technical director, the name of Edwin van der Sar was never far away from the spotlight.
The former Reds goalkeeper, now 50, has done excellent work as an executive at Ajax, with a light shone on his off-field efforts during their exhilarating run to the Champions League semi-finals in 2018/19.
While United assessed their options for the role quietly and internally shied away from bigname candidates, a vacuum was filled by supporters focused on the transfer merits of a director of football – and Van der Sar’s prominence in Amsterdam made him an attractive candidate.
Ajax had certainly built a young, vibrant and successful side relatively cheaply, as well as developing a few generational talents through their academy. Van der Sar looked like a dream candidate, only the job he was doing at the club wasn’t actually the director of football at all.
“I’m the chief executive at Ajax, United are looking for a different position, a director of football, it’s a different role,” he said during the speculation linking him with the role.
Marc Overmars is actually Ajax’s director of football, and has been since 2012. His Arsenal links made that a no-go for United. But now Ed Woodward has confirmed he is stepping down as United’s executive vice-chairman this year, perhaps a role is opening up for Van der Sar to return to Old Trafford. He’s certainly never hidden his desire to one day come back to the club where he made 266 appearances at the end of his career.
“I know United is a much bigger challenge than Ajax,” he told the Sunday Times in 2019. “United is not just a big and famous club, but also a worldwide brand – yet when you’re inside it’s still a family place. I remember when I came from Fulham. Oh, it’s United... but after one day you felt at home. The washing ladies. Mike the chef. Kath (the
Van der Sar is a respected voice inside the game and especially at Old Trafford Tyrone Marshall
receptionist). They’re still there. You need to cherish that and Ole (Gunnar Solskjaer) is doing a great job at it. But also Ed. I have utmost respect for him, what he does for the club. So I don’t need to be the big man. I want to feel I contribute, and you can only do it for something you believe in. United is a special place. Who knows, eventually? But for the coming years I’m here.”
That comment about ‘not needing to be the big man’ was interpreted at the time as a hint that Van der Sar would swap Amsterdam for Manchester for a lesser job, but now he might not need to.
There is, of course, a significant difference between being chief executive at Ajax and holding a similar role at United. One conversation with Woodward would quickly reveal the stresses and strains the job can have on your life.
But Van der Sar has developed considerable experience in his time at Ajax in dealing with a range of off-field matters. He took a masters in sports management once he’d retired, has been chief executive at Ajax for five years and prior to that he was marketing director at the club. That’s a pretty reasonable CV in anybody’s estimations.
Perhaps most importantly, he is a respected voice inside the game and especially at Old Trafford.
United’s dalliance with the European Super League has hurt their reputation and while sources insist confirmation of Woodward’s departure this year coming at the same time that the ESL edifice collapsed was merely incidental, his role in the plans won’t be forgotten by some at Uefa or the Premier League.
The next time he pulls up a chair at one of those meetings, virtually or otherwise, he will have to show a face of contrition. The respect
United will hold in those corridors of power will rise once again if Van der Sar is the next man in.
Nobody should doubt Woodward’s business acumen and it is there where he has thrived, even if his primary concern, of helping to produce a winning football team, has been a consistent failure. The challenge for Van der Sar would be showing he can replicate that commercial success. While the Dutchman garners respect within the game and can be a voice of reason, if United are trying to thrash out a new commercial partnership that might not count for as much. But there are certainly more positives than negatives to considering him.
This is a time for bridges to be built, between United and the governing bodies and, more importantly, the Reds and their own supporter base. Van der Sar would tick both of those boxes.