'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Manchester United legend Edwin van der Sar is confident that the Red Devils will be a force to be reckoned with in the next few years. The former shot-stopper, who won the Champions League with United in 2008, believes the Old Trafford outfit has enough financial power to reach the pinnacle of European football and feels his fellow countryman Louis van Gaal is the perfect coach to make it happen.
“This is a different situation at United, an existing situation and he has had to make major renovations. Hopefully he can succeed and next year United can challenge again. It’s a strong league, the money is available but the other teams are not slacking,” van der Sar said.
Currently, Manchester United is the world’s most valuable football brand. Starting with the 2014/15 season, the Red Devils also boast the biggest shirt sponsorship deal in world football with Chevrolet which offers them £47m-a-year. This is just one of the many high-profile sponsorship deals that they have signed in the past few years.
Van Gaal guided Manchester United to a 4th place finish last season, thereby returning to the Champions League fold after missing out on the same competition in the previous year. It was a transitional season for the Red Devils after a disastrous 2013/14 campaign under David Moyes where they finished 7th in the league.
Van der Sar, who won his first European title at Ajax under Van Gaal, is, however, aware of the increased competition in football and feels the ride to the top won’t be an easy one. The former keeper who is now a director at Ajax, doesn’t believe a small-budget team like Ajax can win another European competition with the kind of money that is being thrown around in football these days.
“At that time when we won it at Ajax, the Champions League was still only the champions. Now you have the top four from the top countries so it’s become much harder. I get a lot of questions about whether Ajax can return to that level for instance. But the best players are in Spain and Germany and England,” added van der Sar.
