Rene Meulensteen, the Manchester United first team coach has reportedly stated that the Dutch goalkeeper, Maarten Stekelenburg is top of Sir Alex Ferguson’s transfer target list for the summer as they look to replace the retiring Edwin van der sar.
United have been linked to several goalkeepers including David de Gea, Manuel Neur and even Liverpool’s Pepe Reina, but according to Meulensteen, Stekelenburg is the priority:
“Stekelenburg is indeed a keeper who is at the top of our wanted list,”
“We naturally talk a lot among ourselves about who should replace Van der Sar. Alex Ferguson has spoken about Stekelenburg with Edwin, and that does not seem strange to me at all.”
After having so much trouble in finding a replacement for Peter Schmeichel after he left United, Ferguson is understandably eager to sign a goalkeeper similar to his most recent successful buy, van der sar.
Stekelenburg and Van der Sar both began their career at Ajax – the club where Stekelenburg currently plays with around 186 appearances. During the 2006 World Cup, Stekelenburg was the understudy to Van der Sar while in the 2010 World Cup, Stekelenburg was the number one goalkeeper, and helped his country get to the final – conceding only five goals in the process. He did unfortunately end up on the losing side. They also both have a large frame – with Van der Sar standing at 6 foot 6 inches, while Stekelenburg stands at 6 foot five and a half.
Despite the signing of Danish keeper Anders Lindegaard, Ferguson is looking for a proven, top quality, goalkeeper with experience in big competitions such as the Champions League. He has a pool of talent to choose from, and he will certainly do his best to get his decision right as he tries to avoid a repeat of the last time their number one left.
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