As featured on NewsNow: Football news

Ajax chief Van der Sar leaves door open to Man Utd return

Ajax chief Edwin Van der Sar says he's happy in Amsterdam.

Van der Sar has been linked with a return to former club Manchester United.

"Every job you do, you want to do it as well as possible. I think we had success on the pitch as a player, winning trophies, getting respect, for us it's important to do the same trick as a director in the position what we do now," he told The Athletic's Business of Sport podcast.

"To be linked or talked about is something that we enjoy, of course, that means we're doing but the feeling is that we're not ready here yet in Amsterdam.

"There's still room to improve, we had a contract talk with him last year [Erik ten Hag] and he saw a real improvement in the team and a possibility to perform at a higher level, that's the way he's doing that, the players developing, it's fantastic.

"Your name once in a while pops up, of course I've got a connection with Man United but I'm extremely happy in Amsterdam."

But Van der Sar never quite shut the door on the links with United in the interview, adding: "There's always a next step, you want to have new experience, 'lets see if he can do the trick another time' probably in the end as a player you sort of feel the urge to take the next step, new challenge, you're on a dead track.

"For example, at Ajax I wanted a new challenge [and] went Juventus, at Juventus I was a dead track, ended up at Fulham — maybe stayed one or two years too long — in the end, I got the deal or the transfer that could finish my career at a high then playing six years.

"Probably at the end you want to go for the next challenge, but at the moment we're extremely fine here in Amsterdam."

Video of the day:

About the author

Paul Vegas

×

Subscribe and go ad-free

For only $10 a year

  1. Go Ad-Free
  2. Faster site experience
  3. Support great writing
  4. Subscribe now
Launch Offer: 2 months free
×

Subscribe and go ad-free

For only $10 a year

Subscribe now
Launch Offer: 2 months free