David de Gea now has a big-name backup.
Former Barcelona number-1 Victor Valdes has agreed to sign a two-year contract with Manchester United, according to the Daily Mail.
Valdes, who had been training with Louis van Gaal’s first-team squad while recovering from a torn ACL, and according to the reports, he’s impressed enough to give the Dutch manager cause to bring him in under contract.
The signing fills a decent-sized hole for the club, with reports suggesting current backup Anders Lindegaard could return to his native Denmark or the surrounding Scandinavian countries, while 24-year-old Ben Amos could be a transfer window signing for another club in need of a ‘keeper.
Valdes most recently played for Barcelona in March. There were furious rumors that he would leave to go to Monaco in the summer, but when the Spaniard popped his ACL in a La Liga match against Celta Vigo, that all went kaput.
Following the signings by Barcelona of both Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Claudio Bravo, Valdes was released by the club this summer. He was allowed to train with Manchester United alongside national teammate David de Gea to rehab his injury.
There will naturally be questions about if Valdes will get a true backup role or if he will instead begin to share time with De Gea, but that is currently just speculation as De Gea is having a season to remember thus far. The 24-year-old’s contract with Manchester United ends after next season.
Van Gaal attacked the media a few weeks ago when someone asked about the possibility of signing Valdes. “I am not here to inform the media,” van Gaal said. “You are suggesting, and it’s a big mistake to do that as the media. That’s why I’m always angry, because you are inventing stories. He is training here, I give him the possibility [of earning a contract] and then we shall see.”
