Former Manchester United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar has previously refused to rule out the possibility of a return to Old Trafford amid confirmation of his impending exit from Ajax.
The legendary shot-stopper, who spent six years at Old Trafford, will officially leave the Dutch giants on August 1 after making the decision to resign from his position as the club's chief executive officer. He will officially step down from that role on June 1, but will continue to be employed by the club until the start of August.
Van der Sar, 52, has been the club's CEO for just under seven years and has worked at Ajax since November 2012. He also started his senior playing career with the Dutch outfit back in 1990.
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The former United ace was, of course, Ajax's CEO throughout now-Reds boss Erik ten Hag's tenure at the Johan Cruyff Arena. They are understood to have had a strong working relationship that was key to Ajax's trophy-laden period under Ten Hag.
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Ten Hag was, of course, poached by United in April last year and the Dutch side have suffered dramatically as a result. After winning each of the previous three Eredivisie titles, Feyenoord romped their way to the crown this season with Ajax finishing third, 13 points behind them.
News of Van der Sar's impending exit now means that Ajax fans will no doubt have further fears that they could regress, such has been the impressive nature of the former goalkeeper's work over the past 11 years. Unsurprisingly, confirmation of the Dutchman's impending exit has sparked calls for United to appoint him and reunite him with Ten Hag.
Van der Sar has previously addressed speculation linking him with a move to Old Trafford, admitting last year that a return had never been on the cards. He didn't, however, refuse to rule out a return at some point in the future, meaning there could be scope for the Reds to make their move in the not-too-distant future once he is officially unemployed.
"It's never been that close," Van der Sar told The Times, speaking back in October. "I have a good relationship with the board and I had a fantastic six years in Manchester, but I'm not finished [at Ajax] yet."
Van der Sar is a huge fan of Ten Hag and his methods. The latter has developed a reputation for wanting to win at all costs and that is something the former saw first-hand at Ajax.
"He's relentless, he wants to achieve as much as possible," added Van der Sar. "The training exercises, the way he wants to play.
"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. The moment United made their approach, it was obvious it was a big challenge for him and that he wanted to take it."
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