Edwin van der Sar admits he is "interested in a position" at Manchester United

Edwin van der Sar

The Dutchman is CEO of the Eredivisie champions but has been linked with the technical director role at Old Trafford.

Van der Sar enjoyed a hugely successful spell with Manchester United late in his career, winning four Premier League titles and the Champions League under Sir Alex Ferguson between 2005 and 2011.

When quizzed about the possibility of returning to the English giants in an off-field capacity, the 48-year-old kept the door open while underlining his commitment to his current role.

"Besides my family, my wife and kids and everything I have two loves in my life,” he told Sports Illustrated's Planet Futbol.

“That's Ajax, who gave me the opportunity to develop: they scouted me, they gave me the chance to shine in the world of football.

"And the last club of my career (Manchester United) also gave me a lot of attention, recognition and everything, developed at a later stage. And of course I'd be interested in a position.

“But I need to learn a little more here [at Ajax], develop myself further and eventually let's see what the future brings.

"United is a fantastic club, there's a great following all over the world. Everybody wants to play for them and eventually, work for them."

Van der Sar initially returned to Ajax as a marketing director in November 2012 before being promoted to the role of CEO in late 2016.

Since then, the Amsterdam club have won the Eredivisie title, reached a Europa League final – where they lost to Manchester United – and gone on a surprise run to the Champions League semi-finals last season with a young and vibrant team.

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Alasdair Mackenzie is a freelance journalist based in Rome, and a FourFourTwo contributor since 2015. When not pulling on the FFT shirt, he can be found at Reuters, The Times and the i. An Italophile since growing up on a diet of Football Italia on Channel 4, he now counts himself among thousands of fans sharing a passion for Ross County and Lazio.