Edwin van der Sar can officially call himself a record breaker now. Following last night's 5-0 demolition of West Bromwich Albion at The Hawthorns, the Dutchman has kept his goal intact for the eleventh game in succession, and for over 1,025 minutes, a record previously held by Chelsea's goalkeeper, Petr Cech.United icons Rio Ferdinand and Ryan Giggs have joined together today to praise the Dutchman, still going strong at a relatively advanced 38 years of age.
"Edwin is the best keeper I've played with. It's as simple as that," asserted Ferdinand earlier.
"The record, the stuff we've won together, the assuredness that he transmits from himself to the back four, is great.
"I also don't think I've seen a better keeper with his feet to be honest either. He's got an extra year in terms of his contract and I am sure he's got the capabilities to go and do it again."
The Red Devils' midfield veteran Giggs felt that it was van der Sar's composure that had been his biggest asset to the side this season, with the experienced keeper providing a steadiness and calmness to balance the enthusiasm of a United team whose average age seems to drop each week.
"Edwin just gives that calming influence right throughout the team, with his calmness on the ball when we play back passes to him, and his general goalkeeping is sound really," Giggs explained in today's Manchester Evening News.
"That calming influence goes right through the team. He is getting better with age. Obviously he has got great players in front of him but, when he is called upon, he never makes a mistake.
"With the clean sheets, Edwin has done brilliant over the last two or three months."
Despite the Dutchman's greatness, Giggs still feels that it would be unfair to compare him with one of United's all-time greats between the sticks, the ‘Great Dane’, Peter Schmeichel.
"Is he as good as Schmeichel? They are both great keepers. You can't really compare them. They are both brilliant, both international keepers, both who have had great careers," Giggs added, before highlighting, once again, the collective mentality at Old Trafford, stating: "You've got to credit the defenders, the keeper and the whole team for the way they have defended."
Resource: Goal.com
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