THE Great Dane is long gone but at last a new top dog has arrived.
Alex Ferguson has finally found his new Peter Schmeichel — and who would have thought he would have to go all the way to America to do it.
Tim Howard was given his chance yesterday to grab the United No 1 spot for the opening day of the season and he grabbed it with both hands.
Ferguson threw him into this game at the expense of Roy Carroll and Fabien Barthez to see how he would handle the big occasion.
He emerged the hero after a dramatic 4-3 penalty shootout victory and now United’s fans must feel the future is safe in his hands.
Howard, 24, plied his trade for New York Metro Stars for six seasons, had won only nine caps for the States and could have walked through Salford unrecognised a month ago.
No more. From such relatively humble football surroundings he is now very much the No 1 at one of the biggest clubs in the world.
So while all United fans are talking about the departures of Beckham and Veron and missing out on Ronaldinho and Kewell, they should celebrate in the fact that they have found someone who could prove far more important.
A good goalkeeper is key. He can be a matchwinner just as much as a Ruud van Nistelrooy at the other end.
Yesterday he was just that.
The penalty saves in the shootout will be replayed on TV. But the moment that should be remembered came in the very last minute of normal time when Sylvain Wiltord was released through the middle.
He was one-on-one with Howard with the Arsenal fans behind the goal urging him on.
Howard sprinted from his line, slid across the ground and hacked the ball away from the feet of Wiltord. The whistle then blew and the big American was bursting with confidence going into the penalties.
His saves from Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Robert Pires in particular showed his expert reactions and won the shootout for United.
The fact that he put this performance on opposite Arsenal’s new No 1 Jens Lehmann will have dealt another small psychological blow in United’s favour.
German Lehmann looked far from secure — although he did deny Van Nistelrooy in the shootout, only the second time the Dutchman has missed from the spot in two years at United.
If there was a question mark over Howard it came with Arsenal’s equaliser as Thierry Henry fired a fierce dipping free-kick in from 35 yards.
Howard saw it late, got a fingertip to it but the ball went in off the post.
His first and only error so far in his three games and one he would make up for in United’s triumph. It was United’s first Community/Charity Shield win in five attempts, achieved in the baking heat of Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium.
the Sun