Ferguson hails heroic Van der Sar as he closes in on record

Sir Alex Ferguson admitted Manchester United 'made a mistake' by not signing Edwin van der Sar as Peter Schmeichel's successor 10 years ago.

The United goalkeeper broke Petr Cech's Premier League record by extending his shut-out run to 1031 minutes during a 5-0 win at West Brom on Tuesday.

And Van der Sar can surpass the Football League record set by Reading's Steve Death in 1978-79 if he holds out for 73 minutes against Everton at Old Trafford tomorrow.

The Dutchman joined from Fulham in June 2005 but Ferguson wishes United had got him six years earlier to replace Schmeichel.

"There is no doubt about it, it was a mistake not signing Edwin in 1999," said the United manager.

"I did want him, but at the time, (former chairman) Martin Edwards had done a deal with Mark Bosnich and, unfortunately, it was too late for us because Edwin went from Ajax to Juventus instead.

"But throughout the 2004-05 season, we were assessing where we should be going in terms of the goalkeeping situation and I left it to our keeping coach, Tony Coton, to get all the information.

"A lot of goalkeepers were a possibility, but Van der Sar's name just came up all the time, so we didn't hesitate at the end of the season. We did a deal quickly.

"For Edwin, it was a great lift for him, but also for us. He has brought incredible knowledge and patience to the back four, his use of the ball is excellent and he has all the technical attributes you need."

Ferguson is delighted that the 38year-old Van der Sar recently signed a new deal until the end of next season.

He said: "At his age, I'm sure he could go on another year. We are playing it that way, so we will see.

"He is in the twilight of his career, but in the form of his life and he has been absolutely fantastic with his performances."

United can open up a five-point lead at the top of the table by beating Everton 24 hours before Liverpool tackle Chelsea, but Ferguson has ruled out any complacency at Old Trafford.

He said: "Only one thing is inevitable in this league and that is that it is full of shocks.

"We have lost leagues on the final day and won them on the final day, so we are treating this seriously, no matter who we play."