Manchester Utd v Besiktas:EDWIN VAN der Sar has been approached about coming out of international retirement to play for Holland in next year's World Cup, when he will be only four months short of his 40th birthday.
At the same time the Manchester United goalkeeper is giving serious consideration to extending his club career at Old Trafford, and is open-minded about the possibility of staying on another season if he feels he can maintain his high standards.
Van der Sar has not played for Holland since winning his 130th cap, against Norway in a World Cup qualifier 13 months ago. He has turned down the first approach but there is a sense that he is open to more talks and willing, at the very least, to discuss the idea.
Replacing him has not been easy for Holland and Alex Ferguson faces the same dilemma at Old Trafford, with neither of the Dutchman’s understudies, Ben Foster and Tomasz Kuszczak, making a substantial case to challenge for his place.
Ferguson has adopted a policy of resting Van der Sar in United’s more inconsequential games and that means a return for Foster tonight, when Besiktas visit Old Trafford in a Champions League tie with little resting on it. However, Ferguson admitted he had “no indication” whether Van der Sar would continue.
“He has not decided,” Ferguson said. “He has come back from his (hand) injury well after missing the start of the season. Usually, around Christmas time he will outline his plans, how long he can go on, and we will wait for that. I don’t know his plans and when you get to that age and have a young family you wonder whether he does have plans to go back to Holland. He is a very intelligent man, he understands his body better than anyone and will make the right judgment.”
Foster had an erratic start to the season but he has remained in Fabio Capello’s England plans and Ferguson is not swayed on his opinion that United have England’s best goalkeeper on their payroll.
“I have said that all along and it does not change; the boy has terrific ability,” he said. “He needs big-game experience because he hasn’t got that, but Edwin is 39 so there will be an opportunity one day. He (Foster) and Tomasz Kuczszak will fight it out, I am sure of that.”
With United qualified for the Champions League’s knockout phase, Ferguson intends to field the sort of team tonight that would be used in the earlier rounds of the League Cup. That means places for Darron Gibson, Danny Welbeck and, possibly, Gabriel Obertan, while the fit-again Park Ji-sung may also be in line to play.
Ferguson bristles, however, at the thought of his team being involved in a “dead-rubber”.
“We could have a non-event game if we wanted to,” he said. “But that is not the way we want it to be. We want an exciting game and we will do our best to challenge the young players who do play.”
There is something for United to play for, although they would also require Wolfsburg to falter in Moscow for top spot to be assured tonight.
Besiktas coach Mustafa Denizli admits he would prefer to be meeting United’s established stars.
“I would prefer to play against a more familiar United team,” said Denizli. “It is easier to plan for. The young players are still good players but, as a team, they are also an unknown quantity.
“What I do know is that some of these guys will be stars in the future. When you are talking about Rafael I would say it is 100 per cent guaranteed.”
