Former Netherlands goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar has been hospitalised while on holiday in Croatia with bleeding on the brain but is in a stable condition, his former club Ajax confirmed Friday.

Van der Sar, 52, who spent six years at Manchester United before leaving in 2011, was most recently a director at Ajax but quit before the end of last season after the club finished third in the Dutch league and missed out on Champions League football for the first time since 2009.

"Edwin van der Sar has had a bleeding around his brain," Ajax said in a brief statement. "He's currently in hospital in the intensive care unit and is in a stable condition."

His wife Annemarie suffered a cerebral haemorrhage in 2009 when he was a player at Old Trafford but made a full recovery.