![]() He was seen as a one or two-season placeholder to allow United the time to develop their talented young goalkeepers - notably 22-year-old Ben Foster, who they had just purchased from Stoke City. Although the Dutchman was a decorated player who had spent nearly a decade with Ajax followed by a brief spell with Juventus, he appeared to be a man at the tail end of his career rather than a long-term solution. ![]() In 2005, Ferguson raised eyebrows when he purchased a 34-year-old Edwin van der Sar from Fulham for £2 million. Though United did win three league titles and one FA Cup in the six years that followed, not one of the 10 goalkeepers who tried to fill Schmeichel’s gloves came close to making a similar impact. Following his departure, it was always going to be a difficult task for Sir Alex Ferguson to find a suitable replacement for a goalkeeper of Schmeichel’s stature. He won five league titles in eight years and bowed out after a final appearance at the Nou Camp, lifting the Champions League trophy to complete the historic treble. When Peter Schmeichel decided to leave Manchester United for Sporting Lisbon in 1999, he left as a club legend and one of the best goalkeepers the Premier League ever had. You can read Oliver Kay’s introduction to the series here. You might not agree with their choices, you won’t agree with the order (they didn’t), but we hope you’ll enjoy their stories. Running each day until the new season begins, The Premier League 60 is designed to reflect and honour the greatest players to have graced and illuminated the English top flight in the modern era, as voted for by our writers.
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