UPDATE Man Utd January 2011 Transfer: United ready to swoop for De Gea

United read to swoop for De Gea.

Man Utd will step up their efforts to land Spanish wonderkid keeper David De Gea after Edwin van der Sar confirmed yesterday that he will retire at the end of the season.

It has been an open secret that Manchester United's Dutch international would call it quits this summer at the age of 40, after a spectacular Old Trafford finale to his long and illustrious career.

Speaking yesterday, the veteran keeper insisted that he owed it to his family to retire from the incessant demands of the top-flight game, even though he still feels fit enough to carry on.

United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has always maintained that he will respect the player's decision, and will now look to offer Van der Sar an off-field role within the club.

First though, he will look to secure a top class replacement, and he sees 20-year-old De Gea as the ideal man to take the club into the next decade.

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