Newcastle United goalkeeper Tim Krul has revealed how he managed a one-on-one chat with Manchester United's Edwin van der Sar the first time they met.
He holds him in such esteem that when Newcastle last played at Old Trafford, Krul waited afterwards outside the changing rooms just to introduce himself to his boyhood hero and was rewarded with a 20-minute private chat that he says he will never forget.
Krul told the Independent on Sunday: "Van der Sar is the one for me. He won the Champions League when he was at Ajax. I used to have the Ajax strip and that didn't go down well in Den Haag. Van der Sar for me has always been the main man whether it was at Juventus, Fulham or Manchester United. I was at Old Trafford on the bench that day and I waited for him after the game.
"He just took me aside for 20 minutes and spoke to me and gave me tips, 'do this and do that'. It was the first time I had met him and there was nobody else, just me and him. He is the best. He has played 130 times for his country. Look what he has done, what he has won. He is 40 and still playing for Manchester United. Everything about him is a big example. He told me that [at his stage of his career] he has seen everything already."
