Manchester United's Edwin Van Der Sar Is Pushing 40, Who Can Replace Him?

Manchester United are preparing for life after Edwin Van der Sar.

The Dutchman, pushing 40, has said he will soon be making a decision on his retirement, and Manchester United scouts are hard at work, knowing that the club's most successful years have been with a top-class stopper between the posts.

It took a while for Alex Ferguson to replace Peter Schmeichel, with the likes of Massimo Taibi, Mark Bosnich, Fabien Barthez and Tim Howard tried before Van der Sar proved to be the only one worthy of filling the big Dane's gloves.

And so United will be keen to ensure the Dutchman doesn't take as long to replace.

Manchester United have reportedly put Ajax Amsterdam and Holland stopper Maarten Stekelenburg, FC Schalke 04 and Germany keeper Manuel Neuer, as well as the young Atletico Madrid sensation David De Gea at the top of their wish list

All three are excellent stoppers. Stekelenburg is going from strength to strength at the Dutch outfit and was one of the stars of the World Cup. Neuer may be playing for a struggling side at present, but he is a proven keeper with international experience. And what hasn't been said of De Gea? Van Der Sar himself has tipped the extremely talented young Spaniard for stardom.

I have picked out five other goalkeepers I believe have the potential to become Old Trafford greats. All the data was taken from IMScouting online scouting system. 

Name: Igor Akinfeev

Age: 24

Club: CSKA Moskva

Nationality:  Russian

International caps: 43

Height: 1.85m / 6.07ft.

Weight: 78kg / 171lbs

Estimated market value: €15M-20M

Akinfeev has steadily progressed since making his debut for the Russian national team aged just 18 back in 2004. He is supremely confident, has amazing instincts, great aerial ability and is excellent in one-on-one situations. He commands his penalty box like a top-class stopper should, and is without a doubt material for a top European club. He has been compared to the great Lev Yashin. He generally has a good mentality, but sometimes loses his composure. He has spoken of his desire to move to the Premier League and has said he favours a move to either Arsenal or Manchester United.

Name: Diego Benaglio

Age: 27

Club: VfL Wolfsburg

Nationality: Swiss

Height: 1.93m / 6.33ft.

Weight: 89kg / 195lbs

International caps: 32

Estimated market value: €15M-20M

An extremely reliable goalkeeper who keeps getting better. He offers authority, agility and sharp reflexes. Benaglio's height means he is very commanding in his area and excellent on crosses. He also has great one-on-one technique. Benaglio was made Switzerland's first-choice goalkeeper for Euro 2008. He has a great mentality and was a key figure in Wolfsburg's Bundesliga title triumph in 2008–09.

Name: Guillermo Ochoa

Age: 25

Club: CF America Mexico

Nationality: Mexican

Height: 1.84m / 6.04ft.

Weight: 72kg / 158lbs

International caps: 40

Estimated market value: €2.5M-5M

The cheapest option of the lot, but Ochoa is a keeper of undeniable quality. He has excellent handling, reactions and anticipation. He also has amazing flexibility, great positional sense and is superb in one-on-one situations. Ochoa is a brave stopper with a strong character. Manchester United were actually in negotiations with America in 2008 about bringing Ochoa to Old Trafford, but the deal fell through.

Name: Fernando Muslera

Age: 24

Club: Lazio Roma

Nationality: Uruguayan

Height: 1.9m / 6.23ft.

Weight: 74kg / 162lbs

International caps: 14

Estimated market value: €5M-7.5M

Another relatively cheap option for Ferguson. Muslera is a young goalkeeper with tons of potential and the talent to reach the highest levels. Muslera's main quality is his shot-stopping abilities—he has excellent reflexes and is a superb at saving penalties due to this virtue. The Uruguayan keeper is also good in one-on-one situations due to his good understanding of the game, anticipation skills and speed—as he is quite light relative to his height. When he arrived in Italy, his agent said, "Lazio have bought the new Buffon." However, Muslera didn't impress in his first full season in 2008/2009, and it wasn't until the 2009/2010 campaign that he made his breakthrough, especially at the 2010 World Cup, during which he shone between the posts for Uruguay and was the penalty king against Ghana.

Name: Hugo Lloris

Age: 23

Club: Olympique Lyon

Nationality: French

Height:  1.88m / 6.17ft.

Weight: 78kg / 171lbs

International caps: 16

Estimated market value: €10M-15M

The future of French goalkeeping. Lloris is renowned for making miraculous saves. He is a truly complete goalkeeper who doesn't appear to have any weakness in his game. Lloris is a composed and intelligent stopper, very mature for his age and never overwhelmed by the big occasion. He is very strong in the air, at ease on his line and shows a lot of quality in his reflexes. He has near-perfect distribution and is a reassuring presence for his defence.