Edwin van der Sar: Manchester United's midfield has to improve in order to beat Barcelona

The retired goalkeeper has urged his former club to scrap a direct style in favour of intricate build-up play and has backed David de Gea to shine at Old Trafford

Edwin van der Sar believes Manchester United's midfield must scrap a long-ball approach if they are to conquer Barcelona this season.

The Dutchman's last match as a professional came in May as Sir Alex Ferguson's side slumped to a 3-1 defeat in the Champions League final at the hands of Pep Guardiola's charges.

Even Ferguson conceded the loss at Wembley was one-sided, and with Barcelona completing 662 passes during the tie, over double that of United's 301, Van der Sar maintains the Premier League champions must rethink their playing style if they are to succeed in Europe this term.

"We need to play more touches on the ball, personally speaking," Van der Sar told Goal.com.

"Not playing long anymore, we need to have more touches on the ball, especially in the midfield. Hopefully, if we do that we can beat them [Barcelona] this year.

"We lost this year in the final against Barcelona and hopefully this season we can improve."

Despite a strong start, United's season was temporarily rocked by the 6-1 defeat to title rivals Manchester City at Old Trafford, and United's former goalkeeper felt the derby would be more tightly contested.

"I was very surprised by that result, very much," said Van der Sar.

Another early cause for concern were the blunders from David de Gea during United's Charity Shield win over City and victory at West Brom in the Premier League. But the Spaniard has since eradicated glaring mistakes and Van der Sar has backed his successor to flourish at Old Trafford.

"I think he's been good. It's still early and he has time to grow there," he said.

Van der Sar was in New York City to participate in charity work as a member of Laureus and ran in the city's gruelling 26-mile marathon on Sunday. The 41-year-old was accompanied by the Netherlands' Prince Willem-Alexander during his trip.

"It's great, not having to always be focused all of the time," Van der Sar said.

"You don't have the pressure of always having to perform week after week.

"I had some holiday, went to South Africa. I've stayed home a lot and seen some friends and family. It's a bit more relaxed than what I'm used to."

Manchester United's Tomas Kuszczak denies describing himself as 'a slave' at the club

Beleaguered shot-stopper insists he was mistranslated by a Polish magazine and insists he has utmost respect for his current club, despite being unhappy

Manchester United goalkeeper Tomas Kuszczak has insisted that he didn't describe himself as a "slave" in a recent interview, but rather his use of the word "prisoner" was mistranslated.

The out-of-favour Polish international was quoted as slamming the Old Trafford outfit after a reported move to Leeds United was blocked by the club.

However, according to the Kuszczak, his interview with Polish magazine SuperExpress was mistranslated.

He told the club's official website: "In response to recent press reports in the English media, I would like to set the record straight by clarifying that I did not use the word ‘slave’ in a recent interview I gave to the Polish newspaper SuperExpress, about my current position at Manchester United Football Club.

"At no point during the interview did I use the word ‘slave’, or imply that the club was treating me like a ‘slave’. Indeed what I did say has either been misinterpreted or mis-reported.

"It is important to clear this misinformation up because I have the utmost respect for the club and have not described my relationship with the club in this way because it is simply not the case."

A writer from United's official website claimed on Twitter that the Polish word 'więźniem' was mistranslated as "slave", though the word actually translates to "prisoner".

David de Gea warns Manchester City that title race is not over yet: United can still win it all

The young Spaniard says nothing is certain yet despite his side's rivals enjoying a five-point lead in the Premier League, and feels he has learned a great deal in England so far

David de Gea has warned rivals Manchester City that they have not won anything yet, and thatManchester United are hot on their heels in the Premier League title race.

The Citizens are currently top, holding a five-point lead over their neighbours, thanks in part to a 6-1 demolition of Sir Alex Ferguson’s side at Old Trafford.

But the United goalkeeper insisted to The Daily Mirror: “United can still win it all. It’s still not decided that City will finish first.”

The 21-year-old has been tested since his summer arrival from La Liga outfit Atletico Madrid, sometimes swapping duties between the sticks with Anders Lindegaard.

However, De Gea believes his experience so far in England has vastly improved him as a footballer.

“What I have learned since the summer in England is more than most of my professional career in Spain,” he continued.

“It’s another world in all of the concepts.

“I didn’t play in the past weekend, but Ferguson told me it was just so I could rest. He’s an incredible coach and without doubt the best in the world.”

The Spain Under-21 captain will be looking to take back his place in the United goal when the Red Devils take on Swansea on November 19.