United closing on Lindegaard deal

Alex Ferguson has confirmed Manchester United expect to sign Danish goalkeeper Anders Lindegaard within “the next two or three weeks”.

Representatives from Lindegaard’s Norwegian club side Aalesund FK were in Manchester last week, speaking optimistically about a deal being done for the 26-year-old, who has four caps for his country.

Former United and Denmark goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel claimed Lindegaard is not good enough for the Red Devils, leading to speculation that Ferguson might have cold feet over the deal.

However, the United boss insists that is not the case.

Having earmarked Lindegaard as someone who could bolster his goalkeeping ranks given Edwin van der Sar has now passed his 40th birthday and Tomasz Kuszczak’s future appears uncertain, Ferguson felt the Aalesund officials had jumped the gun slightly in their assessment of when the contract would be signed.

“It is not completed at the moment but there has not been a hiccup either,” Ferguson said.

“It will probably happen in the next two or three weeks, but the announcement was a bit premature.”