EVDS: I Want More Trophies …
EDWIN VAN DER SAR has challenged the young stars of Manchester United to turn themselves into legends.
The Dutch goalkeeping ace says they deserve credit for overcoming every obstacle that has been put between them and title glory this season.
But he believes the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney need this to be only the start if they want to join the pantheon of Old Trafford greats.
Van der Sar said: “For the people who watch Manchester United, obviously this is a great team.
“But you do not become a legend overnight — you have to win things over a long period.
“It is not just about winning something once but two or three times and that is the challenge.”
The players certainly rose to the challenge this season in reclaiming the Premiership for the first time in four years.
Van der Sar, 36, added: “The players have shown their ability this season. Every game has been important for us and we’ve shown we have been up for every one.
“Every player selected for Saturday or Tuesday or Wednesday has had to perform and we have not had to carry any one.
“Chelsea were so well ahead in the previous seasons. But this season, we have been playing well enough to cope with anything that has been put in our way.”
The likes of Ryan Giggs — with a record nine titles — Paul Scholes, Ole Solskjaer and Gary Neville have already reached legendary status. But boss Alex Ferguson has been building a side for the future too with Ronaldo, Rooney and Michael Carrick at its core.
Van der Sar said: “All the cornerstones are there. The squad is well positioned to achieve something special.
“It takes a long time to work towards something like this but now the team must go on.”
Van der Sar’s 1995 Champions League triumph with Ajax should have begun a glory-filled career. But after an unsuccessful spell with Juventus, he ended up at Fulham with little chance of silverware.
He said: “I had four years at Fulham at the lower end of the league so if you go to a club like United, the idea is to win trophies.
“We won the Carling Cup last year but the main prizes are the ones we have been involved in this season. As a player, that’s the best motivation you can have.
“When I signed for Fulham, they had a big plan to make it a big club in a short space of time.
“But after the first two years when they spent a lot of money on players, you began to feel it wasn’t really happening.
“The times I spent at Ajax and Juventus, you learn to realise how good it feels to win a series of games and come to the end of seasons in the run for major trophies.
“I won many trophies at Ajax but came second twice in the league with Juventus — so it is good to win things again now.
“I always felt I had the quality to perform at the top level again — you just have to wait until somebody eyes you up and gives you the chance to show it.
“That’s why you’re happy when a club as big as United comes along. They wanted an experienced keeper and I was happy to fill that gap.”
