Ajax CEO Edwin van der Sar has played down talk of a return to former club Manchester United in the immediate future.
The 51-year-old returned to the Amsterdam giants, first as marketing director before graduating to chief executive in 2016.
The former Netherlands goalkeeper has been instrumental in helping Ajax become a force in European football once again, and a hotbed for some of the hottest properties and most-coveted youngsters across the continent.
Van der Sar has seen Erik ten Hag, Lisandro Martinez and Antony all depart the Johan Cruyff Arena and move to Old Trafford in recent months.
Such was Van der Sar’s fruitful relationship with Ten Hag and his connections with the Red Devils, a return to the Theatre of Dreams cannot be ruled out in the future.
Edwin van der Sar plays down talk of a return to Manchester United
The twenty-time league champions haven’t recovered since the successful partnership of Sir Alex Ferguson and former CEO David Gill came to an end.
The running of the club, under the Glazers’ ownership, has been nothing short of haphazard ever since Sir Alex and Gill departed.
While it would be impossible to match what Fergie and Gill achieved, Van der Sar and Ten Hag could be the perfect pairing to rebuild Manchester United’s footballing operations from top to bottom if our former stopper returned and took up a sporting director role.
However, after recently signing a new contract with Ajax until 2025, Van der Sar has insisted that he hasn’t been close to a return to the Theatre of Dreams, and his focus remains entirely on achieving more success with his current club.
In an interview with The Times, Van der Sar says: “It’s never been that close.
“I have a good relationship with the board and I had a fantastic six years in Manchester, but I’m not finished here yet.”
Van der Sar won four Premier League titles and the 2008 Champions League in his six years at the club after Sir Alex signed the Dutchman from Fulham.
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