Steele reveals Edwin van der Sar 'education'
During his playing days and since his retirement from football in 2011, former Manchester United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar has regularly been described as 'a model professional'.
The Dutchman enjoyed much success between the sticks for the Reds, embodying everything we come to expect from a Manchester United goalkeeper.
Just this weekend, David De Gea - bought as Edwin's successor back in 2011 - won the Golden Glove for the 2022/23 campaign, and has surpassed his predecessor's appearance tally, and that of Peter Schmeichel, to become the keeper who has played the most matches in the club's history.
Van der Sar set the standards, and Eric Steele - United's former goalkeeper coach under Sir Alex Ferguson - revealed exactly what it was like to work with the Dutchman in the latest UTD Podcast episode.
Steele: Working with Edwin was an education
UTD Podcast | Former United goalkeeping coach Eric Steele reveals what it was like to work with Edwin van der Sar...
"Edwin, what a pro," he began, speaking to podcast co-hosts Sam Homewood, Helen Evans and David May. "What a man to have in and around [the place].
"Off the field, so quiet, a gentleman, but he was a winner.
"I remember when he got injured, he'd done his knee and he had to have an operation and he was so close to coming back and we were playing Everton in the Reserves. Edwin came to me and Rene [Meulensteen] and said 'I want to play in the Reserves game.' We said no, you don't want to play in that, we are playing Everton. They'll have their kids playing, it will be a bit feisty.
"I said 'do you want to play?' and he said 'yeah'.
"So, straight away, I got Ben Amos, Sam Johnstone, [and] about four of the goalkeepers from the Academy and I said: 'I want you to go behind the goal both halves'.
"We went to the Reserves game and some of the information he gave to me - he was the coach. He was the coach on the field.
"He'd be 10 yards outside his area and I'd say 'why do you go so high?' He'd say 'well, at Old Trafford, they're not going to hear me. I can easily drop in.'
"It was an education [for me]."
Save of the Day: van der Sar v Chelsea
On the 11-year anniversary of his retirement, relive one of Edwin van der Sar's most important saves for United...
In our 2008/09 campaign, Edwin and the United defence went an incredible 14 Premier League fixtures without conceding a goal.
This shut-out record still stands today.
Reflecting on this period, Steele says that while van der Sar's performances were stellar, it was a remarkable achievement for the entire defensive unit.
De Gea confirmed as Golden Glove winner
ArticleUnited's no.1 is now guaranteed to finish the 2022/23 season with the highest tally of clean sheets.
"That's my reward [but] it was Edwin and the team that did it. It was something that we looked upon as a team effort really.
"It wasn't surprising.
"If you look at the team, you can put [Nemanja] Vidic, [Rio] Ferdinand together, you put Jonny [Evans] alongside either one of them, they play either side. You had Wes Brown, you had John O'Shea. Unbelievable variety.
"Yeah, it was a proud moment [and I was] really delighted."
Eric Steele's UTD Podcast is available to watch and listen to exclusively on ManUtd.com and in our app from 17:00 BST on Monday 22 May.