Manchester United goalkeeper Tom Heaton says he uses teammate Edwin van der Sar as his role model.

Heaton, 23, signed for Rochdale from United last week before making his bow in Saturday's 3-2 home defeat at the hands of Chesterfield and - despite suffering a debut to forget - he is confident he can ultimately reach van der Sar's level.

He said: "He is in his late 30s and I'm hoping one day to get to that level. Playing in these games will hopefully set me on the right path."