French-born Togolese footballer Mathieu Dossevi who plays for Belgian club Standard Liege as a winger has cast his doubts over the signing of Manchester United’s third-choice goalkeeper Victor Valdes on loan. He is of the opinion that there is no need of another shot-stopper for the Belgian club.
That is not to say Dossevi doubts the quality of the ex-Barcelona keeper during Pep Guardiola’s managerial stint with the Spanish giants, but he thinks that their present number one Guillaume Hubert is an excellent keeper and should remain the first choice for their coach Yannick Ferrera.
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Talking to the Mirror, Dossevi said, "Of course, Valdes is a great player. But I seriously wonder if we actually need him – and I don't think so. We have a great goalkeeper in Guillaume Hubert. He is a fantastic keeper. Guillaume has been showing brilliant things in goal for our club and the players are all right behind him.”
"I think that is normal. Only thanks to Guillaume we have the chance to qualify for the Belgium Cup final. So why on earth would we want to replace him?" he added.
Manchester United had announced Valdes’ departure saying that the Spaniard will be leaving for Belgian club Standard Liege on loan where he is supposed to spend the rest of the season. Sam Johnstone, Dean Henderson and Kieran O'Hara, all United keepers have also been sent to various clubs on loan by manager Louis van Gaal.
The Spanish goalkeeper had joined United in 2015 on an 18-month deal, but he has made only two appearances for United. It was already understood that his time at United was over after he found a place in the bad book of Van Gaal who openly expressed his discontent with the Spanish keeper saying that Valdes has failed to abide by his philosophy.
“He is not selected because he doesn’t follow our philosophy and there is no place for that one player,” Van Gaal had said.
Valdes was given a chance to play with the United U-21 team but the Spaniard refused. His defiance was another major reason for making the Dutchman indignant. Things took a turn for the worse when Valdes was made to practice alone. The last few days at Old Trafford, Valdes spent in isolation.
Victor Valdes spent 12 years with Barcelona where he won six La Liga titles, three Champions League crowns and two Copa del Reys while at Camp Nou. But, it seems misfortune has become a constant companion for Valdes as he has now been told that he is surplus to requirements at Standard Liege.
