Former Manchester United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar touched by 'incredible' testimonial turnout

The Dutchman thanked his fans, family and former clubs and revealed that he expects former side Ajax to do well next season as Louis van Gaal also paid tribute to the 40-year-old

Former Manchester United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar admits he was overwhelmed by the turnout of fans and players at his testimonial game on Wednesday night. The former Ajax and Manchester United goalkeeper revealed his surprise at the level of support he received on his final outing before retirement.

"This is incredible," he said. "It's fantastic and touches me. I'm not someone who likes to be in the spotlight. That you get a night like this is really incredible. "So many fans and players I didn't expect. You realise you did something for Dutch football and United, but something like this was absolutely not in my mind," he said after leaving the pitch.

Van der Sar also thanked his family and revealed he has high hopes for Ajax next season after training with their squad on Tuesday.

"I want to thank Ajax for this incredible night," he added. "Also, a big thanks to the players of Ajax, who gave their best energy. I trained yesterday with you guys and I'm confident you will do well in the Dutch league. "In the end I want to thank my wife and family for all the support the last years. Thank you everyone."

Louis van Gaal also paid tribute to the Dutchman, revealing that he knew Van der Sar would have a successful career, despite an uncertain start. "This evening is fantastic," he said. "I really didn’t think this was possible. It says something about the status of Edwin. Not only the crowd, but also so many big players [have turned out].

Eric Cantona encourages Manchester United to sign Inter's Wesley Sneijder

The former Red Devil has sung the praises of the Netherlands international, insisting that the 27-year-old attacking midfielder is exactly what the Old Trafford club need

Manchester United legend Eric Cantona has expressed his hope that the club will sign Wesley Sneijder from Inter. the Dutchman has told Manchester City he would like to join the Red Devils, but the player's wage demands have continued to hold up a deal. Now the Red Devils' former player has showered praise on the Netherlands international by likening the ex-Real Madrid man to himself.

"Sneijder is one of the best. He will be great for the team," Cantona told The Mirror. "He is what Manchester United needs. There's no-one like him right now. "He's strong. Sometimes he reminds me of myself."

Cantona spent five years at Old Trafford between 1992 and 1997, winning four Premier League titles and two FA Cups.

Paul Scholes admits 'stupid' row with Sir Alex Ferguson could have seen him sold by Manchester United in 2001

Old Trafford legend reflects on spat with manager a decade ago when he refused to play in League Cup tie against Arsenal, having been dropped for previous game against Liverpool.

Paul Scholes has admitted he "could have no complaints" if he had been sold by Manchester United following his infamous fall-out with Sir Alex Ferguson a decade ago. The United legend refused to play after being selected in a weakened team featuring mostly fringe players and youngsters for a November 2001 League Cup defeat against Arsenal a day after being dropped for a Premier League loss to Liverpool.Scholes spoke publicly for the first time about the most controversial incident of his glittering United career ahead of his testimonial next Friday at Old Trafford against a New York Cosmos side coached by Eric Cantona.

"It was something I regretted doing, obviously," recalled Scholes. "I wasn't in a great mood I suppose. I had been left out of the Liverpool game. We were playing Arsenal the night after and you knew it was just the reserves, basically, that was going down to Arsenal. "I just got a bee in my bonnet that I wasn't happy with it [and thought], 'I'm not going'. A silly thing to do, I know that. But I had reasons for it. Stupid, really."

Scholes said he apologised to Ferguson soon afterwards and was fined "a week or two" worth of wages but admitted he was fortunate to survive the fall-out with the manager, while others who have crossed swords with the Scot - such as David Beckham, Jaap Stam, Roy Keane and Ruud van Nistelrooy - were less fortunate. "He would have been well within his rights to get rid of me, really," reflected the retired midfielder. "Someone refusing to play for his team. I couldn't have had any complaints. "It was one of those things I definitely regret doing. It was stupid. It scares me to talk about it."

The 36-year-old said there were no other occasions during his 676-match United career in which he refused to play and could recall only one other time when he fell out with Ferguson. The famously shy Scholes said: "There was maybe one argument in the dressing room and that is about it. "I don't really say a lot, do I? I only would say something if I disagreed with him, which maybe only happened once or twice."

Scholes retired in the wake of United's Champions League final defeat to Barcelona at the end of May and will take up a coaching role at the club where he spent his entire career, the exact nature of which will be confirmed in the coming weeks during talks with Ferguson.

Victory against Barca in Friendly !

No Messi, no problem. Two months after Champions League final heartache, United fans finally had something to celebrate against Barcelona, as the Reds beat the European Champions 2-1 at FedEx Field in Washington DC.

Without their Argentinian playmaker (or Xavi, Dani Alves, Javier Mascherano, Gerard Pique and Carles Puyol), Barcelona lacked much of the creativity and movement that tore the Reds apart in May's Champions League final. Of course, this game didn't matter quite so much, despite local media billing the game as a Wembley rematch and a chance for United, apparently, to “exact revenge” for May's painful defeat. In reality, though, this was merely a pre-season run-out for Sir Alex's men, albeit a vital one with the Community Shield clash against Manchester City just eight days away.

United, at the end of a three-week stint in the States, started brightly and Rooney should perhaps have opened the scoring on 10 minutes when Nani whipped a dangerous ball across the box from the right. Rooney edged in front of his marker at the near post but blasted his low shot wide of the post. Barcelona – shorn of their South American stars, including Lionel Messi - enjoyed a spell of short dominance after Rooney's miss, although failed to test Reds goalkeeper David De Gea. One deep cross from the right did force Fabio, on as a substitute for his injured brother (knee) on 17 minutes, to head behind for a corner, however, with the Catalan side committed forward, the Reds cleared the set-piece and broke quickly down the pitch. Danny Welbeck slipped a pass between two Barcelona defenders for Nani to chase and when the Portuguese wide-man collected the ball he kept his cool to steer home United's opener via the gap between Victor Valdes' legs.

It was classic counter-attacking football from the Reds, the sort of which United fans saw far too infrequently in the last two Champions League finals. Instead, those games will always be remembered for Barcelona's staggering possession play. Here in DC, there was less of that on display, although admittedly the Catalans were missing keep-ball kings Xavi and Messi. The less savoury side to Barcelona's game remained, though. Ashley Young and Jonny Evans were caught by wild tackles in the first half, while Sergio Busquets and David Villa both made the most of tame challenges.

Sir Alex made three changes at the break (an interval that featured basketball superstar Kobe Bryant taking penalties on the pitch) but it was Nani, United's liveliest player in the first 45 minutes, who continued to pose problems for the Barcelona defence whenever the Reds pushed forward.At the other end, David De Gea's first save came just after the restart when he smothered Pedro's angled shot. Otherwise, the former Atletico Madrid stopper had precious little to do until the 70th minute when Thiago rifled a swerving shot into the top corner from 20 yards. There was no stopping that thunderbolt and the goal gave Barca a noticeable shot of confidence.

Six minutes later, though, United were back in front when Cleverley intercepted a stray pass and fed Michael Owen through the middle. The former Real Madrid forward – Barcelona fans won't have forgotten that fact – is usually lethal in one-on-one situations, and he made no mistake here, dinking the ball over Valdes to restore the Reds' lead. United's win doesn't erase the memories of May's Champions League final or even strike a significant psychological blow in the battle for European football supremacy. It did, however, ensure Sir Alex's men remained undefeated in all five US Tour fixtures (scoring 20, conceding three), and provide a high-intensity finish to pre-season preparations. Next up: the Community Shield. Bring on the Blues!

United: De Gea; Rafael (Fabio 17), Vidic (Jones 76), Evans, Evra (Smalling 46); Nani, Cleverley, Anderson (Giggs 46), Young (Obertan 62); Rooney (Owen 46), Welbeck (76)

Subs not used: Amos, Berbatov, Ferdinand, Carrick, Park, Macheda

Sir Alex Ferguson ‘quite happy’ for Manchester United to be second best to Barcelona

As the two sides prepare to meet in a friendly, the Scot does not mind that his side are ‘in second place’, but says the aim is for the Red Devils to match the Catalan club

Sir Alex Ferguson insists he is happy if Manchester United are second best to Barcelona at the moment, but maintains that the goal is for his side to match the Catalan club. The Spanish giants have won the Champions League twice in the last three years, and on both occasions they beat the Red Devils in the final of the tournament.

"I think their performances and their feats over the last two or three years have elevated them," Sir Alex said at a press conference. "In everyone's mind they are the best team, currently, in the world. "I'm quite happy to be in second place at this moment in time because that's our challenge. Our challenge will be to get to that level."

The two sides meet in a friendly on their pre-season tour of the USA in Washington DC on Saturday.

Friendly Match Vs FC Barcelona [Preview & Live Stream]

United face another severe examination against Pep Guardiola's princes...

Form guide

United have a 100 percent record on tour and the goals have flowed. The 4-0 battering of MLS All-Stars now means all the forwards who have played out in the US have managed to find the net at least once. Barca have already enjoyed more success in pre-season, getting past Internacional on penalties before defeating Bayern Munich 2-0 in the Audi Cup final with new sensation Thiago Alcantara scoring both goals.

Ins and outs

Sir Alex has promised he'll give lengthy run-outs to most of his stars ahead of the Community Shield on Sunday week. Javier Hernandez is ruled out after suffering concussion but wouldn't have played in any case. The boss has a tough choice in goal between David De Gea and Anders Lindegaard. Barca's Copa America stars are missing and that includes Lionel Messi, Javier Mascherano and Dani Alves amongst others as well as new signing Alexis Sanchez. Xavi is back in training after an injury lay-off and should be involved.

Last meeting

Wembley Stadium, 28 May 2011, the Champions League final. A masterful performance from the Catalans saw them to a comfortable 3-1 win thanks to goals from Pedro, Messi and David Villa. Wayne Rooney's superb response before half-time was, ultimately, in vain.

Top man

For all of Messi's magic, it's arguable that Xavi was man of the match at Wembley. The midfielder ran the show and orchestrated a superb team performance by dictating the tempo and pulling the strings. A wonderful footballer in the Paul Scholes mould, he is the man who makes Pep Guardiola's side tick - with able support from Andres Iniesta and, of course, Messi who won't feature.

Quote/unquote

"Players from both teams do not want to get hurt just before the start of the season so I do not think a feeling of revenge is a good idea" - Wayne Rooney.

Any sub-plots?

The question as to how to match Barcelona after two chastening Champions League final defeats will have been burning in Sir Alex's mind ever since the end of May. The three new signings - De Gea, Phil Jones and Ashley Young - are all available but most fans will be wondering if the boss has a new tactical plan in mind to take on a team that always dominates possession. It may be a friendly but it'll set some pointers at least for the new season.

Did you know?

United's famous rousing comeback in the 1984 European Cup Winners Cup quarter-final against Barcelona is the only competitive match Diego Maradona played in England - although he did figure in a friendly international against England at Wembley and a Football League v Rest of the World exhibition fixture at the old stadium.

The Washington match is live and exclusive here on UnitedBelievers with full coverage starting at Midnight tomorrow.

MLS All-Stars 0-4 Manchester United: Anderson, Park, Berbatov and Welbeck on target as Red Devils secure fourth tour win

Sir Alex Ferguson’s men won their fourth consecutive match on their tour of America as they cruised to a comfortable victory against an All-Star side including David Beckham

Manchester United eased to a fourth consecutive win on their tour of America with a 4-0 victory over the MLS All-Stars. Anderson and Park Ji-Sung gave United a 2-0 lead at the break, before further goals from Dimitar Berbatov and Danny Welbeck wrapped up the victory.

Former Arsenal striker Thierry Henry was the first of the MLS All-Stars to make an impact, cutting inside past Rio Ferdinand from the left before setting up David Beckham, who could only drag his shot wide of the post. It did not take long for United to stamp their mark on the game, though, with Anderson putting the Red Devils ahead on 20 minutes after excellent work on the edge of the area between Berbatov and Wayne Rooney.

Beckham came close to equalising in the first half for the All-Stars, but his second 25-yard effort of the game was tipped over by Anders Lindegaard. Despite the best attempts of Beckham & Co. to grab an equaliser before the break, Park doubled United’s lead on the stroke of half-time by firing past the keeper from just inside the area

United soon began to dominate in the second half, and Sir Alex Ferguson’s men went 3-0 up on 52 minutes. Berbatov received a pass from Rooney before seeing his chip over the goalkeeper strike the crossbar. But the striker was first to react, tapping home into an empty net. Just 16 minutes later, Welbeck sealed the win for United with a swerving strike from 20 yards out.

Beckham tried to find a consolation goal against his former club late on, but he could only curl a trademark free kick into the side-netting.