It is quite possible Lindegaard would never have ended up at United had former Red Devil Carroll not arrived in Denmark. His first-team place blocked, Lindegaard moved to Norway, producing a series of stellar performances for Aalesunds that secured him a £3.5million move to Old Trafford. And, having remained in contact with Carroll, the Northern Ireland international proved to be an invaluable source of advice ahead of his dream move. "It is an ironic situation I suppose," reflected Lindegaard. "But from the first day Roy came to the club he was a really great guy and treated me well. "I spoke to him before I came to Manchester about the city and the team and he said such great things. "It was Roy who told me Manchester United was the greatest place in the world to develop into a football player, that I would have the best coaches, the best manager, the best players and the best facilities to work with. "He said when you are finished training, you don't want to go home. I feel that too. You want to stay longer because it is such a great place." Now the battle for Lindegaard is to win a first-team slot, not for this season maybe, but certainly next, once Edwin van der Sar has headed into retirement. The 26-year-old made a pleasing enough debut at Southampton in the FA Cup last month when the speed of his distribution caught the eye. It is too much for Lindegaard to hope for a further opportunity in Saturday's Manchester derby, although the following week's encounter with non-league Crawley offers an ideal chance for Sir Alex Ferguson to hand his new keeper an Old Trafford debut. "It really is too far in the future to think about," said Lindegaard. "A club like Manchester United will not bring in players that they don't believe in. I don't look at the big picture. I just focus on the things right under my nose. "There will be speculation from now about the goalkeeping position at Manchester United from now until the start of next season. It is the most attractive goalkeeping job in the world. "But I am not in control of that situation. It is down to the boss and no matter what happens, you will always respect his decision." Nevertheless, knowing Van der Sar is on his way in the summer ensures Lindegaard will be on alert for any chance he can get to impress. The pressure will certainly be on him, knowing the likes of Manuel Neuer and Maarten Stekelenburg just get closer to being approached with every mistake Lindegaard makes. "The pressure at Manchester United is bigger than at any other club, people take an interest in it all over the world," he smiled. "But you should not be afraid of playing football. You should enjoy it. "You play football because it is fun. It is the thing you love and enjoy. That is where your focus should be, not on how much pressure there is." Once he gets his squad back together - Javier Hernandez will be the latest arrival when he returns from Mexico's meeting with Bosnia tomorrow morning - Ferguson will better be able to judge the make-up of his team for the crucial City clash. However, it would be no surprise if the Scot stuck with the bulk of those players who remained in Manchester this week, which could mean as many as nine members of his starting line-up go into the game fresh as they attempt to prevent Roberto Mancini's men closing to within a couple of points.
