I only joined Man United due to Ruud van Nistelrooy - he gave boss three reasons to get me

Old Trafford great Edwin van der Sar has revealed it was Ruud van Nistelrooy who suggested Manchester United signed him in the first place.

Van der Sar, 54, played for European giants Ajax and Juventus before spending four seasons at Fulham in what appeared to be his twilight years. But it turned out the best was yet to come for the seasoned star, who made his professional debut in the 1990/91 campaign.

It was 15 years later that Van Nistelrooy put Sir Alex Ferguson onto his Netherlands team-mate. The likes of Fabian Barthez and Tim Howard attempted to fill the void left by Peter Schmeichel in the years following the 1999 Treble but it was thanks to future interim boss Van Nistelrooy that United finally did.

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"I think that was the reason why Ferguson signed me in the end," said Van der Sar on a recent episode of Rio Ferdinand Presents. "I think Ruud had a conversation [with Ferguson] at the end of the [previous season] about next steps for United, and he said, 'We're looking for a midfielder and a goalkeeper. . .so why don't you take Van der Sar?'"

The former Cottager clarified how Van Nistelrooy went to bat for him with the boss, much to Ferdinand's approval. However, Van der Sar revealed how Ferguson wasn't as open to the move initially given the stopper was approaching his 35th birthday at the time.

"'Yeah, okay, but he's old' and everything," he added before mimicking Van Nistelrooy's defence of three particular qualities. "'Okay, but he still plays in the Premier League, he plays for the national team. . .[he] probably has another two good years in him.' And I think that's how the ball started rolling."

The rest, as they say, was history, and Van der Sar went on to etch his name in the history books as one of United's greatest goalkeepers. In the end, he went on to play six seasons as the Red Devils' undisputed starter before retiring in 2011 at the age of 40.

His time at Old Trafford was littered with silverware, including four Premier League titles and the 2008 Champions League crown. United also reached two other Champions League finals with him between the posts, not to mention clinching two League Cups as well.

There's perhaps no other stopper who comes closer to challenging treble-winner Schmeichel for the throne as United's best keeper of all time. And it's all thanks to a well-timed tip-off from Van Nistelrooy, whose eye for talent was sharp even as a player.

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