Edinburgh [Scotland], July 19 : Manchester United head coach Erik Ten Hag on Wednesday sent out a message of support to the former Red Devils goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar, who continues to recover from illness.
Van der Sar suffered bleeding in the brain, while on holiday earlier this month. He was brought into intensive care but earlier this week he was moved out of it.
Before United's clash against Lyon, Ten Hag sent a heartfelt message to van der Sar who was chief executive during his time as manager of Ajax.
"It was a real shock for everyone, in Manchester, the fans of Manchester United and in the Netherlands as well all the fans from Ajax," said Erik as quoted by the club's official website.
"It is devastating when you see those pictures or hear that news. We all have our thoughts with him and his family," Ten Hag added.
Earlier on Monday, Van der Sar posted a positive update on Twitter which read, "I'm happy to share that I'm no longer in the intensive care unit. However, I'm still in hospital. I hope to go home next week and take the next step in my recovery."
During his time with United, he won the Premier League four times during his six-year stint from 2005-2011, which saw him make 186 appearances for the club. He also won the UEFA Champions League with the club in 2008. He also won the 2008 FIFA Club World Cup and League Cup with Manchester United.
He also represented Ajax from 1990-1999 and made 226 appearances with them. He also won the UEFA Champions League with the Dutch club. Following this stint, he moved to Juventus, for which he made 66 appearances before signing with Fulham in 2001.
Following his retirement from football in 2011, Edwin returned to Ajax and took the role of chief executive there, which he occupied till the last season.
After a disappointing season, the club earned a third-place finish in Eredivise, the top-football competition in the Netherlands.
They also missed on a UEFA Champions League spot and the goalkeeper announced that he will be stepping down from his role."I feel the need to take some distance, to get some rest, and to do other things," he had said on Twitter at the end of May.
"It does not feel good to take decisions about the future of this wonderful club in the coming period. That is why I have decided to resign."After suffering a loss to Barcelona in the Champions League final in 2011, van der Sar retired.
He also represented the Netherlands in 130 matches and at one point was their most-capped player.
Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor