Keeper's new deal in pipeline

Edwin Van der Sar is ready to sign a 12-month extension to his Man Utd contract and stay at Old Trafford until he turns 40.

The former Ajax, Juventus and Fulham keeper, 39, signed a similar extension last year to take him through to the end of the 2009/2010 season.

And with Tomasz Kuszczak and Ben Foster coming through, he had been expected to be phased out over the course of this campaign.

But Sir Alex Ferguson has relied on Van der Sar as much as ever and recently said he and Peter Schmeichel were the best in the club's history.

United have also been linked moves for Schalke keeper Manuel Neuer and CSKA Moscow's Igor Akinfeev this season, but Ferguson recently played down any interest in the Russian.

Van der Sar has now reportedly told friends he is willing to extend his career by another year - which would take him past his 40th birthday next October.

Van der Sar is six days away from breaking Raimond van der Gouw's record as United's oldest post-second world war player - his fellow Dutchman was 39 years and 48 days old when he played against Charlton Athletic in 2002.