The 40-year-old, who joined United from Fulham in 2005, has taken the decision despite starting 21 of the club's 23 league matches this term."It is now time to pay attention to my family,'' said Van der Sar, who has been contemplating hanging up his boots since his wife Annemarie collapsed with a brain haemorrhage in December 2009."I cannot really identify a time when it [the decision] happened,'' said the former Ajax goalkeeper. "Let's just say that it was playing on my mind from the moment Annemarie had her stroke."She has fought back from it. We decided on another year in England and thus to stay at Manchester United. But, once engaged in the season, the thought of saying goodbye started to gnaw a bit more emphatically.''Van der Sar is poised to turn down the offer of a coaching role with the Red Devils, preferring instead to take a break from the game. "I will hopefully not start coaching too quickly," he said."I will try to have 18 months or two years for myself - and I've a family to do nice things with, too."The Netherlands international has won three Premier League titles at United, as well as one Champions League and one League Cup.Sir Alex Ferguson has already taken steps towards finding Van der Sar's successor by signing Anders Lindegaard from Aalesund during the January window.United goalkeeping coach Eric Steele believes Van der Sar will go down alongside former Red Devil Peter Schmeichel as one of the club's greats following his decisive penalty save from Nicolas Anelka in the Champions League final shootout against Chelsea in May 2008.Steele told Radio Manchester: "Edwin will retire at the end of the season. It has been a mutual decision between the manager, the team and Edwin."He has been a fantastic servant. I was very lucky. I worked alongside Peter Schmeichel at Villa and I worked with Edwin for two and a half years. That penalty save in Moscow has elevated Edwin alongside Peter.''
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