Edwin van der Sar explains why he picked Manchester United shirt number 19

Manchester United legend Edwin van der Sar has revealed he opted to take the number 19 shirt when arriving at the club out of respect for Tim Howard.

The Dutchman signed for United in June 2005 for a reported fee of £2million from Fulham, becoming the club's first-choice goalkeeper under Sir Alex Ferguson.

Van der Sar wore the number 12 shirt during his debut for Ajax and later took the number one jersey but was unwilling to take the iconic number at Old Trafford.

Howard wore the number prior to van der Sar's arrival and the former Netherlands international revealed he did not want to take it from him.

"Tim Howard had been in goal during the previous season and they brought me in as first goalkeeper," he wrote on Twitter.

"But I didn't want to take his number away from him.

"My spot between the sticks was most important."

At the end of his first year with the Reds, van der Sar took the vacant number one shirt following Howard's departure to Everton and wore it until he retired in 2011.

Fans loved his reasoning, hailing him as a true United legend. One fan wrote: "Made my day this tweet, love from Manchester."

Another praised Van der Sar as the best goalkeeper he had ever watched, writing: "You are the best 'keeper I've known - same class with Oliver Kahn and Peter Schmeichel."