Edwin van der Sar’s form and recent clean-sheet record is tribute to his outstanding talent and what, Sir Alex Ferguson says, marks him out as a ‘special goalkeeper’.

The 38-year-old has not conceded in the league for 1,122 minutes, stretching back 12 games to Sami Nasri’s strike in Arsenal’s 2-1 win at the Emirates Stadium on 8 November, 2008.

“[The record] has left Edwin revelling in a personal achievement that seems to be giving him as much pleasure as all the many honours he has won with Ajax and Juventus, as well as winning 123 caps with Holland,” said the boss in his Everton match programme notes.

Sir Alex feels United’s Dutch goalkeeper really is a rare breed. “It’s his great experience, allied to youthful enthusiasm, that marks him out as a very special goalkeeper."

But United's recent run without conceding in the league isn't all down to Edwin's undoubted talents. “The defensive record is remarkable because this is the part of the team that has been most affected in recent weeks by injury," adds Sir Alex. "Everyone has rallied round.”

Twenty-four today, Cristiano Ronaldo has his work cut out if he's to equal or top everything he achieved at 23. But as he told MUTV's Stewart Gardner recently, for all his glories so far, his ambition still burns brightly...

You won everything in 2008… how do you follow that in 2009?
I’ve spoken to some experienced players who have a great history in the game and they’ve said, it’s not what you do in one season, it’s staying at the top level, that is the challenge. I have to carry on like that. If I don’t perform, I know people will start to criticise me and I don’t want that. I’m an ambitious player and I want to win many, many more things.

How did you go from scoring a few goals in your first few seasons, to 42?
When I arrived at 18 I was a good player, but not in decision-making, like whether I have to pass the ball or dribble. Winning trophies and being at this club, it gives you maturity, and I have learnt a lot. When you’re playing around great players you learn many things. So I’ve improved every season, and the last season was the best of them all. But I want more – this season I want to score the same amount of goals, or more if it’s possible. I know it will be hard, but I have it in my head that it’s possible.

What’s your favourite goal from last season?
It’s hard, but I have a few! The header in Rome, the free-kick against Portsmouth, and the flick against Aston Villa. I’ll choose those!

What's the secret of your free-kicks?
Many people have asked me, but there is no secret! That’s just my style of shooting, and everyone has their own style. I like to hit it strong, the ball starts to move in the air, and that’s it! To be honest, there’s no strategy, no secret. Practice helps as well, of course. If you want to be good at your job you have to work hard and practise a lot.

Then there was your first hat-trick for United, against Newcastle…
That was very special. I had scored two many times, but never got the third, and my mum had started to say, “Cristiano, why do you never score three goals?!” I had to explain, “Mum, sometimes it’s not possible,” but she just said, “Ah, but you have to score three one time!” So when I did I was immediately thinking about my mum. To get that first hat-trick was a special day, and to score it at Old Trafford was a great moment.

Were you nervous before taking a penalty in the final league game?
Well, there was a little bit of pressure because if we didn’t win, maybe Chelsea could take the title. I just said to myself, “Cristiano, you have to score this goal, because if you do, maybe we win the league.” And so I scored, we go 1-0 up, and then Giggsy comes on and scores the second goal, and the fans start to believe we can win the title.

How do you cope with the pressures of being a big star?
When people say that they like you because of how you play, or how you look – although I don’t believe too much of that – it’s always good. Like in the stadiums in Japan, when you touch the ball and people start screaming, I love all that and I appreciate it. I have an opportunity to say thank you to everyone who supports me, because it gives me motivation to win more now, and in the future.

Can you do normal things out and about in Manchester?
It can be difficult, but I feel at home in Manchester, I’ve been here since I was 18. I like living here and my family like to visit. The only bad thing is there are no direct planes from Madeira! But my mum and sister like to visit, it’s a nice place, nice people, they’re always good with me, no one gives me any problems. My life is brilliant!

Are you bothered by the booing at away grounds?
It’s normal for me now. If it doesn’t happen I’m thinking, “Why aren’t they booing me?!” Maybe they think if they boo, I’ll lose my concentration, but it doesn’t happen: I like it!

Some say you don’t get enough protection – has that changed?
The referees have a very hard job and I respect them, but sometimes I don’t agree with what happens. If you want to have a good league and quick football, you have to protect the skilful players, because they are the ones that put on a show and that’s what the fans want. But there are some very good referees in the Premier League.

How important is it to entertain?
I like it when people come to the games and see nice moments, nice tricks, but you have to do it for the team. You can’t do well in every game and people must understand that.

Who are your best friends at the club?
I speak more with the Portuguese-speaking players like Nani, Anderson, Rafael, Manucho, but I could say everyone. Carlos, Pat, Rio, Vida, Edwin... the team spirit at United is great and sometimes it's the most important thing. There is a togetherness, you can have a joke with everyone. I think that’s why the team works well, why we win things.

Twenty-five today, Carlos Tevez is arguably still approaching his peak. Ex-Reds defender David May has been impressed by what he's seen so far...

Carlos Tevez has been absolutely outstanding for United... and he would be an absolute nightmare to play against!

Defenders like to have a couple of touches on the ball, get their head up and have a look at what’s going on around them. With Tevez on the pitch, by the time you’ve done that the ball’s been nicked off you.

What I really like about him is that if he loses the ball he doesn’t just lie on the ground or throw his arms in the air. He gets straight up and goes right back at you. There’s not a moment’s peace.

Once you get to a certain area of the pitch defenders don’t like going those extra few yards because it starts leaving gaps behind you. If you’re playing as a back four then you want to stay in that formation as much as possible throughout the game.

Carlos likes to drop deep and that creates indecision in the defences. Do you go with him and risk being dragged out of position? Do you stay where you are and let him turn and run at you? It’s not a nice dilemma to have.

Speaking of dilemmas, Wayne Rooney could be fit for Sunday's game at West Ham. But I don't see why you can't play Rooney and Tevez in the same side, with Berbatov and Ronaldo too. It almost seems unfair on the opposition...

The views expressed in this blog are personal to the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Manchester United FC.

Everyone’s favourite Frenchman waltzed in from Leeds and transformed the club. Here to remind us of his impact, is songster Pete Boyle…

I had idols before Eric, but none were as cool. He was a real superstar – but you’d often see him out and about in Manchester. I remember seeing him in the pub when he’d injured his wrist and was ruled out of a game against QPR. He was playing table football with his mates, but he was always approachable.

We discussed art and music, and unlike many other players of that generation he seemed to embrace the music scene of Manchester, which really struck a chord with me – especially when you used to read that the likes of Lee Sharpe listened to TLC! And I’ve met a lot of players, but few made me buzz like Eric. It’s probably only Sir Alex that has that aura. I’d be feeling like broken biscuits around him, and it’s not often I’m speechless! The first ‘special moment’ on the pitch came before he’d even signed for United. He scored a belter for Leeds at Old Trafford and you knew then he had something about him that set him apart. When he signed I was buzzing.

He was popular with fans pretty quickly, but I remember thinking the moment that really started our relationship with Eric came against Sheffield Wednesday in December 1994. We’d been three down and he poked home the equaliser late on to make it 3-3. It wasn’t a great goal, but it meant a great deal to our title hopes and it was a great Cantona moment, the first of many. Remember him hitting the bar at Stamford Bridge from the halfway line in September 1994? After that game I penned the last few choruses to Eric the King. A select few were trying it out in a pub in Whitechapel after the match, but it was really born on the terraces in Honved in the game that followed.

So many of his goals stand out. The volley at Wimbledon, the chips against Sunderland and Sheffield United… But the one that really sticks in my mind is the goal against Liverpool in the 1996 FA Cup final. He could have scored a toe-poke and it would be up there. It wasn’t about the goal (although he did shuffle his body well), it was about winning a Double Double against a side who could've won more Doubles themselves, but didn’t. It meant so much beating Liverpool in that game.

Eric came in for criticism in his last season. Some fans suggested he wasn’t up to his usual standards. But I think he’d had such a good campaign in 1995/96 that it would have been impossible to play that well again, something Ronaldo may find this year. I admire Eric for walking away when he did. People talk about him coming back, but if he doesn’t we’ll always have our memories.

Top Five United Icons

When the staff of Inside United magazine decided to select the five greatest icons in the magazine's era (1992 - 2009), it wasn't easy and some legendary names didn't make the cut.

So far the order is
5. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
4. Ryan Giggs
3. Roy Keane
2. Eric Cantona

Log on to ManUtd.com on Friday to find out who is our no.1 United icon.