As the apparent transfer of David de Gea to Real Madrid looms over Old Trafford this summer, the inevitable rumour mill surrounding who will be taking over the number one jersey hots up.
A number of names have been circulating in the press on a daily basis, some days the favourite is Tottenham Hotspur’s French international Hugo Lloris and on other days it is the Ajax and Dutch number one Jasper Cillessen.
Who could replace De Gea
A few names even came out of the woodwork such as the Atletico Madrid keeper Jan Oblak and Inter Milan’s Samir Handanovic. However, one name that is not getting his fair share of attention and recognition is Victor Valdés, currently the most decorated player in the Premier League.
Valdés joined United on an 18-month contract at the beginning of January; he had been at the club since October training, in order to regain his fitness following a serious knee injury sustained while playing for Barcelona.
Due to the extraordinary form of De Gea, Valdés had to wait 130 days for his debut which came in the season’s penultimate match against Arsenal at Old Trafford.
His first start came 7 days later, where he kept a clean sheet against Hull City. During this match he pulled off several outstanding saves, showcasing his incredible shot-stopping abilities.
Of all the names linked with the Manchester United goalkeeper position, no one compares to Valdés with regards to experience and honours won.
Valdés got early start under van Gaal
The Spaniard made his debut for van Gaal’s Barcelona at the age of only 20. He spent twelve years with the Blaugrana, appearing in more than 500 official matches and won 21 major trophies.
The 21 trophies are made up of: six La Liga titles, three Champions Leagues, two Copa del Reyes, six Spanish Super Cups, two UEFA Super Cups and two FIFA Club World Cups.
As an individual, he won the Zamora trophy (the goalkeeper who has the lowest "goals-to-games" ratio) a record five times.
International accolades unlike any other
If that wasn’t enough, he has 20 caps for Spain and was part of the Spanish squads which won the 2010 World Cup and 2012 European Championship. If it wasn’t for Iker Casillas, Valdés would have made many more appearances for Spain.
Valdés is described as being an imposing goalkeeper, who is consistent, has a strong personality, extremely agile with great reflexes. However, there are two realities that do not work in his favour.
Firstly, has his right knee fully recovered from the anterior cruciate ligament injury sustained in March 2014 and secondly, at the age of 33, how much longer can he play at the top level.
This goalkeeper transfer saga has all the hallmarks of continuing throughout the summer however one thing is for certain, if David de Gea does leave, United have a world-class keeper waiting in the wings.