Sir Alex Ferguson admits his goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar is 'revelling' in his record run of clean sheets.
Boss claims keeper values record as highly as winners' medals
Sir Alex Ferguson admits his goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar is 'revelling' in his record run of clean sheets.
The Dutch stopper has denied the cream of the land's striking talent for a staggering 1,122 minutes, dating back to Samir Nasri's strike at Emirates Stadium in Arsenal's 2-1 win over the champions on 8th November.
A British record is on offer for the 38-year-old should he keep Sunday's opponents West Ham at bay for at least 75 minutes at Upton Park, live on
Sky Sports 1 and HD1.
Former Rangers keeper and current record-holder Chris Woods disputes the tag, claiming Van der Sar is four games away from beating the record as the Dutchman conceded three goals against Gamba Osaka at the Fifa Club World Cup in December.
But as the argument rumbles on, Ferguson is witnessing the positive effect the 12-game sequence is having on the veteran.
Pleasure
"The record has left Edwin revelling in a personal achievement that seems to be giving him as much pleasure as all the many honours he has won with Ajax and Juventus, as well as winning 123 caps with Holland," the United boss said.
"His great experience, allied to youthful enthusiasm, marks him out as a very special goalkeeper."
Van der Sar is not getting all the credit from Ferguson though, as the United tactician is equally amazed by the performance of a defence that has been forced to operate at less than full capacity for the past three months.
Rio Ferdinand played his first game since United were crowned world champions in the five-goal destruction of West Brom, when Wes Brown also returned following ankle surgery.
This weekend Patrice Evra is due to feature once more after damaging his foot in the win over Chelsea a month ago.
"The defensive record is remarkable because this is the part of the team that has been most affected in recent weeks by injury," said Ferguson. "But everyone has rallied round."
