Edwin van der Sar rules out Man United return amid links to director of football role MUFC
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“Of course we tried to persuade him to stay, but Erik is someone who knows what he wants and the direction he wants to go,” Van der Sar says. “The moment United made their approach, it was obvious it was a big challenge for him and that he wanted to take it.” On the Martinez and Antony transfer, Van der Sar added: “It was our opinion they should stay for another year.“We gave a firm ‘no’ to Arsenal when they came first for Lisandro; we fought hard to keep him.”
He continued: “It was [an] economic [decision] but it was a hard one to take,” he says. “We knew there was interest but not at that level and it was too late to find a good replacement. “I don’t think the way [Antony] handled it was the correct one, but it’s important all the players who leave Ajax have success because it reflects well on us.”