I'm No 1: Anders Lindegaard has given Sir Alex Ferguson
a selection headache
Keep sake: Lindegaard impressed against Benfica in the
Champions League
If Anders Lindegaard thought his
appearance in goal for Manchester United in Lisbon on Tuesday was
effectively an audition for a part on the big stage against Chelsea
this weekend then he was wrong.
United manager Sir Alex Ferguson would not have
picked the Dane for Sunday's clash at Old Trafford even if he had
saved a penalty, scored a hat-trick and given the half-time team
talk in the Stadium of Light.
For now at least, the Spaniard David de Gea
remains United's No 1 and - given that the 20-year-old appears to
lack a little self- assurance - it is easy to understand Ferguson's
reasoning.
Now that we have seen Lindegaard play in a
genuinely important game, however, it is clear that Ferguson has
bought himself a goalkeeper who is not going to sit in the shadows
and quietly wait for De Gea to play himself out of the
team.
'I don't know what you expect me to say,' said
Lindegaard, 27, when asked about his position at United. 'Do you
expect me to say I'm happy to be number two? That's not how it is.
I am here because I want to be number one.
'If you are good enough you're going to play -
it's as simple as that. I do as well as I can when I get the
chances and in the end if I am good enough I am going to be number
one.'
While De Gea has taken some time to settle at
United and continues to lack a little stature, Lindegaard comes
across as immediately more gregarious. He talks and thinks
with the same confidence with which he plays.
He stood and spoke for 15 minutes to journalists
after United's 1-1 draw against Benfica on Tuesday night, mocking
some questions and answering others with an honesty that is not
always apparent with modern players.
He only became coy when asked if he thought he
was due to play at Bolton in the Barclays Premier League last
weekend. 'I have no comment on that,' he said. 'That is something I
don't want to talk about.'
That apart, Lindegaard was happy to talk up his
game and reflect on one of the biggest nights of his career in
Lisbon.
'It was a fantastic experience, like a
childhood dream coming true,' he added. 'The reflex save I made in
the second half I would never have made while in Norway or Denmark.
It just goes to show how much I am improving since coming to
United. Alex Ferguson has helped me a lot. He said to me: ''Play
the game, not the occasion'' and it was exactly my approach to this
game.
Angry: Sir Alex
Ferguson snapped at a reporter who posed a question about his
goalkeepers
'There's only room for one goalkeeper in
the team. We have a very good competition. We have two top
goalkeepers and we have Ben Amos as well, who is a very promising
young man. That's how it is in all positions at United and that's
how it should be.
'I'm never going to complain about competition -
it's tough. But I accept the manager's choice every time. He has
proven he is the best manager in the world and I will always
respect and accept his decisions.
'You can see so far I have not had many
opportunities to show who I am, but this was one of them and it was
a big game. It shows a bit about how good the competition is, it is
not as clear as it was last year - who is first and who is
second.'