Van der Sar: I had a good time at Juventus

Edwin van der Sar says he has ‘good’ memories of his time at Juventus and ‘would’ve liked’ Ajax to face them in the Champions League last 16.

Van der Sar spent two seasons as Juve’s No 1 but did not truly convince between the sticks and was replaced in the summer of 2001 by Gianluigi Buffon, who arrived from Parma in a then-world record deal for a goalkeeper.

“It’s always a pleasure to come back to Turin,” he told Sky Sport Italia after Ajax drew Real Madrid on Monday.

“I had a good time at Juventus, before my transfer to Fulham and then Manchester United.

“Matthijs de Ligt is an important player, who came through our youth system. He’s our captain today and we’re happy with him.

“All the teams are great in the last 16. It’s a shame that we didn’t get Juventus as I’d have liked to face them as my former club.”