Manchester United Transfer News: Begovic Flattered by Interest from United and Liverpool; Says He is Happy at Stoke

Dec 05, 2012 11:17 PM EST

Asmir Begovic said he is flattered to hear of interest from Manchester United and Liverpool, with the Stoke City goalkeeper impressing greatly this season.

Begovic has been a part of the English Premier League's second meanest defense, having conceded just 12 goals in 15 games, while playing every single minute for the Potters.

That form has led to reports of interest from both United and Liverpool. United, in particular, have had to deal with some inconsistent keeping from both Anders Lindegaard and David De Gea the past season-and-a-half.

Although both goalkeepers have shown plenty of promise, Sir Alex Ferguson is reportedly keen to look at other options, as he tries to reduce the amount of goals conceded by United.

Begovic is the perfect goalkeeper that every major club looks for in the Premier League - someone with experience in England and proven experience at that.

"It's always nice when the biggest teams in the world are looking at you," Begovic told the Sentinel. "It's a compliment, but it doesn't mean anything.

"We keep our feet on the ground here and the manager wouldn't let that change. I have three-and-a-half years on my contract and I am concentrating on playing, staying in the team, and trying to help the team be successful.

"I am happy here so there are no issues with that."

Begovic has kept seven clean sheets this season, and the shutouts in particular are something he is extremely proud of. "That's what goalkeepers work for," Begovic added. "Goals don't interest me, if I ever scored one I would probably turn around and run straight back into my goal.

"Clean sheets are always a great bonus but ultimately it is all about the three points.

"You attack and defend as a team. We take pride in working hard on both aspects of the game and things are going well for us."

The need for United of a new goalkeeper can be debated with De Gea and Lindegaard still young and showing plenty of promise. Ferguson spent a lot of money on De Gea, especially, and the manager will be keen to give both his keepers more chances, before making a decision on a replacement.

However, a bid for Begovic, with one of the two current keepers at Old Trafford leaving cannot be entirely ruled out.

Meanwhile, summer signing Alexander Buttner said he is still in awe of some of his teammates at United.

"I feel so lucky to be here and it's great to play with so many great players like Giggs and Scholes -- before I came I used to play with them on FIFA, now I get to train with them every day," he told United Review.

"We have so many great players in the squad and the fighting spirit is fantastic. Everybody works so hard."

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