Edwin van der Sar hopes lightning can strike twice for Manchester United | OneFootball

Edwin van der Sar was on the wrong end of things when Manchester United previously saved their season with Europa League glory and hopes his former club can aid their rebuild by repeating the trick eight years on.

Jose Mourinho’s first campaign at Old Trafford ended by winning Europe’s second-tier competition, which took precedence over the Premier League towards the end of the campaign that the Red Devils stumbled home in sixth.

The Portuguese’s decision paid off as United lifted the Europa League and sealed Champions League qualification by winning the Stockholm showpiece 2-0 against Ajax, where Van der Sar was chief executive at the time.

The ex-United goalkeeper sees similarities to the current situation under Ruben Amorim, whose side enter the weekend 14th but are tantalisingly close to the Europa League final after Thursday’s 3-0 first-leg win at Athletic Bilbao in the last four.

“I know they had it once before in 2017 and I was the other team in the final with Ajax,” Van der Sar told the PA news agency. “I was director, the chief executive.

“We were of course delighted to reach the Europa League final but when you’re in a final you want, and you need, to win it.

“I think even that time United were outside the Champions League positions, so they were over the moon that they won the trophy.

“That situation or that possibility is still there for them, and hopefully they can save a small part of the season.

“But mainly being attractive for players and other personnel to come to United, and help them gaining respect, quality and not better players but different kind of players for the system that the manager wants to play.”

While Van der Sar may have been cursing United in 2017, he retains strong affection for a club he helped win four Premier League titles and a Champions League during a six-year stint.

“It’s an amazing club, we had great success, a fantastic manager,” he said of United, who travel to Brentford on Sunday.

“I spoke to (Sir Alex) Ferguson last month when I was there (visiting), and the guys who are running the club now.

“Hopefully with the warm feeling that I have, hopefully in the next coming years they can be, they need to be, back up at the level where they should be.”

Van der Sar enjoyed his recent visit to Old Trafford, where he will be taking to the field on June 15 at Soccer Aid for UNICEF.

It will be the 54-year-old former Netherlands international’s second match since suffering a brain haemorrhage shortly after leaving Ajax in 2023.

“You’re not doing it for yourself, it’s of course for a good cause in UNICEF,” Van der Sar said. “But it’s an amazing feeling to get back to Old Trafford and be back on the pitch again.

“I had a brain haemorrhage two years ago and that game in October, which was in Korea, was the first one.

“So, I did some training with my son and you want to give a good impression to the fans and also for yourself, so on that part the health issues are gone.

“I work out once or twice a week in a gym, I cycle a lot on the road or with the mountain bike, play padel, golf.

“That’s one of the benefits of not having a job at the moment that you have time to do other things and travel a lot, so that’s why I hope to be as fit as a fiddle come the game.”

:: Soccer Aid for UNICEF takes place on June 15 at Old Trafford. Adult tickets start from £20 and juniors from £10. See socceraid.org.uk.