Former goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar highlights what is currently missing at Manchester United

Former goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar highlights what is currently missing at Manchester United, when speaking to ESPN. 

Manchester United have suffered a tough start to the season, only winning two of their opening eight Premier League games and losing three.

Much speculation about the club woes has been discussed in the media, with pundits including ex-United players giving strong opinions on the club’s plight.

Former goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar is the latest former Red to give his opinion, as he spoke in-depth to ESPN about where the club is at.

Edwin van der Sar won ten trophies with Manchester United including four Premier League titles and the Champions League.

He said: “Of course it’s difficult. I left there eight years ago and it was a tremendous last six years of my career, winning four Premier League titles and playing in three Champions League finals.

“So it’s a long way from the position where they are in now. And of course they have changed managers a couple times now and the real progress is not seen yet, only the thing that they bought in the summer. They bought younger, inexperienced players with a certain desire and hunger, and not like the big names they bought the last six, seven years.”

Adding:  “I think for ourselves, when I came in the dressing room we had Ryan Giggs, you had [Paul] Scholes, you had [Rio] Ferdinand, [Gary] Neville and even Roy Keane at that time. So I think there’s always been strong characters. And I think for the last couple of years the strong characters have disappeared and [are] not making a difference anymore.

“But for a player […] you want to play at a certain level, you also want to have an idea that you can win trophies and they must take that opportunity also to improve the squad and make the world-class players they have, or the players that they’re going to sign, that they feel welcome and that there’s a good path to where they’re going to go to.”