Edwin: It's good to be back
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Edwin van der Sar's vigil for sick wife: Manchester United keeper by stroke victim Annmarie's bedside
Vigil: Van der Sar
The wife of Manchester United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar is seriously ill after a stroke.
Van der Sar is at his wife Annmarie van Kesteren’s hospital bedside in Holland awaiting test results.
Sportsmail understands Annmarie collapsed at home last Wednesday as Van der Sar and the couple’s two children, Joe and Lynn, were preparing to celebrate Christmas.
Out of action in recent weeks with a knee injury, Van der Sar had been given permission by United boss Sir Alex Ferguson to return to his homeland for the festive period and to receive treatment from the Holland team doctor.
The 39-year-old former international is not expected back in Manchester until more is known about his wife’s condition.
Van der Sar is United’s No 1 and has been considering an offer to stay at the club for another season.
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OMG.... I think he should retire and take care of his wife!
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:(
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great, so which keeper to use now? Ben again?
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Manchester United place 'keeper Edwin van der Sar on indefinite compassionate leave to stay with sick wife at home in Holland
Compassionate leave: Van der Sar will stay with his wife Annemarie - who suffered a stroke - in Holland
Edwin van der Sar has been placed on indefinite compassionate leave by
Manchester United after his wife suffered a brain haemorrhage, manager Sir Alex Ferguson has confirmed.The 39-year-old goalkeeper, who has been absent since last month's win over Everton with a knee injury, had been given permission to return to Holland over the festive period and receive treatment from the Holland team doctor.
But his 36-year-old wife Annemarie van Kesteren collapsed last Wednesday as Van der Sar and his young family were preparing to celebrate Christmas and the Holland international has been granted permission to stay away from Manchester.
Ferguson said: 'Annemarie had a problem over in Holland a week ago and has been admitted to hospital. That is the best place for her to be.
'They have examined her twice and are trying to get to the root of it. 'I have told Edwin to stay over there. There is no point in him being here. 'The best thing is for him to be with his wife. Hopefully she will make a good recovery.'
Holland's most capped international, with 130 appearances, had been considering an offer to come out of retirement ahead of next summer's World Cup and a one-year extension to his current Old Trafford deal, which expires at the end of the season.
But both are now seemingly in doubt with United's No 1, who first met publicity shy Annemarie while shopping at her brother's grocery shop in his homeland, only thinking of his wife's immediate health and recovery.The couple married in Amsterdam three-and-a-half years ago and live in Cheshire, although United officials do not expect Van der Sar to return to England anytime soon.Van der Sar's absence presents England World Cup hopeful Ben Foster an opportunity to reclaim the United No 1 jersey he held at the start of the season, although Polish goalkeeper Tomasz Kuszczak is currently in command.
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the wife is young and suffer from stroke at this age? stroke has no discrimination and even the young could get stroke.
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Man U on the brink of collapse?
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man united is not a one man team.
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Wow, man u win 3: 1.....sigh a relief.
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I think Edwin should stop playing and take care of his wife.
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Edwin van der Sar is close to returning to training at Manchester United after the latest medical prognosis revealed his wife had not suffered permanent damage when she collapsed with a brain haemorrhage before Christmas.
Sir Alex Ferguson's first-choice goalkeeper has been on compassionate leave since Annemarie van Kesteren was admitted to hospital in Amsterdam on 23 December.
United had told him to take as long as he needed but Van der Sar has contacted the club to say he should be back either at the end of the week or early next week.
The Dutchman has been troubled by a knee injury and has not played since the 3-0 defeat of Everton on 21 November.
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He is a good player but his wife needs him now.
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Edwin van der Sar could make his Manchester United comeback against Burnley on Saturday.
The veteran Dutchman has not played for the Red Devils since mid-November when he injured a knee against Everton.
Since then, his wife Annemarie suffered a stroke just before Christmas.
However, she has now recovered and, after spending this week in Qatar with his team-mates during the warm weather training camp, the 39-year-old is on contention to face Burnley at Old Trafford.
"Edwin has come back to training and has done very well," said manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
"He has been out for a few weeks and it is great to see him back. He will give us so much experience when he eventually does come back, which is important to us."
Ferguson will have a chat with Van der Sar before deciding on his line-up for Saturday's game.
However, it seems inevitable given United's struggles at the back recently that the former Holland skipper will be recalled in favour of Tomasz Kuszczak.
"It depends how Edwin feels but he has been training very well," said the Red Devils chief.
Ferguson also confirmed long-term absentees Rio Ferdinand and Owen Hargreaves continued to make progress in Qatar last week.
"They both took part in some work and Rio in particular is not too far away now," he said.
Meanwhile, record signing Dimitar Berbatov is resisting having an exploratory operation on a lingering knee problem, with Ferguson hoping surgery can be delayed until the end of the season.
"Dimitar doesn't want an operation," said Ferguson.
"Sometimes he feels the injury, other times he doesn't.
"It might have been the warmer climes but he didn't feel it at all in Qatar last week.
"We are just keeping an eye on it at present."
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Awesome!
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i think if not wrong, he will be oldest player MU used in the post-war era..
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Edwin van der Sar was delighted to be back on the pitch on Saturday after missing United’s last 12 fixtures.
A combination of injury and personal misfortune – the Dutchman’s wife suffered a brain haemorrhage just before Christmas – has kept van der Sar on the sidelines since 21 November, but he returned to Sir Alex’s starting XI against Burnley and kept a clean sheet.
“It’s good to be back,” he told MUTV. “I felt pretty good out there, although I was a bit nervous before the game.”
Van der Sar rejoined his team-mates for last week’s warm-weather training camp in Qatar, where he says “some good training sessions” helped the Reds prepare for Burnley’s first visit to Old Trafford in 25 years.
“It’s been a good week for myself and the team. We had some good training sessions in Qatar and now we’ve topped it off with a win against Burnley.
“Burnley are a resilient side and they’ve shown that all season. They were a big challenge for us and I had to make a couple of saves, but we hung on.”
The win keeps the Reds just one point off the top of the table, behind Chelsea, who beat Sunderland 7-2 at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
“We were trailing Chelsea by a point [at kick-off] so it was important to win and stay close to the leaders,” van der Sar said. “That’s what we did so hopefully now we can go from strength to strength.
“We’ve got a few players coming back from injury as we come to the business end of the season.” -
Back with a clean sheet somemore! Woot!