“We are quite similar – he’s from the Netherlands and I’m from Belgium – it’s not far from each other, so we also know a little bit about character and background.
“I think it’s quite similar, so it’s always nice to hear those nice words from him.”
Boss Michael Carrick, who played with van der Sar between 2006 and the Dutchman’s retirement five years later, has acknowledged the parallels in personality between the two, without wanting to get too carried away.
“I don’t want to be comparing them because I don’t think it’s fair to Senne, but there’s definitely similarities,” he said.
“For me, he’s a goalkeeper to be reliable, to be trustworthy and, instead of creating the chaos, you want him to take the chaos away and calm things down. I think Senne is that.
“He’s quite quiet at times and unassuming but he’s got a real steeliness.”