Victor Valdes has revealed his time at Manchester United felt so lonely that he thought nobody would be around to help if he was knocked unconscious during training.
Daily Mail
Valdes has been loaned out to Standard Liege for the rest of the season after failing to play for United at all this season and training alone with academy goalkeeping coach Alan Fettis.
United manager Louis van Gaal claimed Valdes refused to play for the reserves and the Spanish goalkeeper, who played under the Dutch boss at Barcelona before joining him at Old Trafford, admits he felt ‘very alone’ during his time at Old Trafford.
VICTOR VALDES’ HONOURS
Barcelona La Liga: 2004–05, 2005–06, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2012–13 Copa del Rey: 2008–09, 2011–12 Supercopa de Espana: 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013 UEFA Champions League: 2005–06, 2008–09, 2010–11 UEFA Super Cup: 2009, 2011 FIFA Club World Cup: 2009, 2011
Spain FIFA World Cup: 2010 UEFA European Championship: 2012
Appearances Manchester United — 2 Barcelona — 535 Spain — 20
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He told Spanish newspaper El Pais that he once asked Fettis: ‘What if I were to hit the post and were to lose consciousness, and if I swallowed my tongue?
‘Alan replied, “I’ve got my phone in my pocket, I’d call and they’d come to help you”.
‘I told Alan, “I feel very alone”.’
Valdes’ start to life in Belgium was a positive one, as he made one particularly good save in the victory over Oud-Heverlee Leuven.
But the Spain international admitted he didn’t have time to find out much about the club before joining.
‘I didn’t have time to talk to [Fellaini] because I left really quickly,’ Valdes told Belgian news website DHnet. ‘We’ll contact each other to talk about the club and the city that he knows very well.
‘On the other hand, I had a discussion with Ilias Moutha-Sebtaoui, a young Manchester United keeper who came from Standard and who told me that it was a big club and that I’d feel good here. He wasn’t mistaken.’