Lindegaard enjoyed a winning debut on Saturday, even though he was unable to mark the occasion with a clean sheet as United were forced to come from behind to book an FA Cup fifth round tie with non-league Crawley by beating Southampton at St Mary's Stadium.
The Denmark international earned warm praise from Sir Alex Ferguson but realises he will be going back into cold storage as Van der Sar returns for Tuesday's Premier League encounter with Aston Villa.
However, with Van der Sar set to retire at the end of the season, Lindegaard knows there is a first-team spot up for grabs. And he is determined to get it, even if the shirt itself holds no appeal.
"I am never going to play number one," he said. "I don't like it. But don't be mistaken by that. I definitely want to be the number one choice. I have not come here just to pick my nose. In the last couple of years Edwin has been the best goalkeeper in the world.
"But I cannot do anything about him retiring or all the speculation there will be for the next four or five months. I just know I am good enough. If I wasn't I wouldn't be here."
Source: PA
Source: PA