Van der Sar, who played in the Netherlands' 2-0 World Cup qualifying win over Romania on Saturday, has signed a two-year contract beginning on July 1. The transfer fee was not disclosed.

The 34-year-old, who is five caps short of a century of international appearances, joined Fulham from Juventus [ Images ] for 5 million pounds in 2001 and has been a consistent performer for club and country.

United have struggled to find a long-term replacement for Danish goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel who left Old Trafford in 1999.

Australian Mark Bosnich and Frenchman Fabien Barthez left the club after failing to impress manager Alex Ferguson [ Images ], and Roy Carroll and American Tim Howard shared the goalkeeping duties last season.

United released Northern Ireland's Carroll and Spaniard Ricardo, their third-choice keeper, last month.