Danish goalkeeper Anders Lindegaard signed for United in January 2011 after agreeing a deal six weeks earlier and training with the Reds during much of December.
A vocal stopper who commands his penalty area, Lindegaard rose to prominence after a string of top displays for Norwegian side Aalesund, whom he joined in 2009 (initially on loan) from Odense in Denmark. He earned his first Denmark cap in September 2010 and has impressed on the international stage.
Comparisons to fellow Dane and former United great Peter Schmeichel have inevitably been made (and, like Big Pete, Anders is a good organiser of his defenders) but it's important to remember Lindegaard, although 26 when he arrived at Old Trafford, is still in the early stages of his career.
United boss Sir Alex Ferguson said: "Anders is one of the brightest young goalkeepers in the game. The challenge at Manchester United is always to look to the future and, in Anders, we have signed a goalkeeper of great presence and even more promise."
Lindegaard was officially registered with the Premier League on 6 January 2011 and was given the no.34 shirt. The Dane made his United debut in the 2-1 FA Cup fourth round win at Southampton in January 2011.
His only other first-team appearance in 2010\/11 came in the next round of the cup, in the 1-0 home win over Crawley, before he picked up a knee injury in March and underwent surgery which ruled him out for five weeks. However, Lindegaard returned to play in the Reserves' 3-1 Manchester Senior Cup final win over Bolton in May, one of three outings for the second string in his first campaign.
After a six-month settling in period, Lindegaard was intent on challenging David De Gea for the no.1 spot at the beginning of the 2011\/12 campaign. De Gea began the season between the posts with Lindegaard stepping in here and there, both domestically and in Europe. De Gea was taken out of the firing line at the start of 2012 allowing Lindegaard a mini run in the side for nearly all of January until a nasty ankle injury - the Dane suffered ligament damage in training - ruled him out for the remainder of the campaign. To say he is determined to make up for lost time during 2012\/13 is an understatement.<\/P>","B6A0187759F85483D714EA91FD933428":"0","1D8DD001D97C012A":"193cm","e_index":8};