Manchester United forced a World Cup winner to train alone so he would quit the club 'to prove he wasn't dead' following a major fallout with the manager
15:32, 14 Jan 2026
Victor Valdes comes on as a substitute
View 3 Images
Victor Valdes joined Manchester United as backup to David De Gea(Image: Action)
Manchester United once forced World Cup and Champions League winner Victor Valdes to train alone so he would sign for another club.
Valdes, who celebrates turning 44 today (January 14), moved to Old Trafford from Barcelona in January 2015. But a year later, he was sent on loan to Standard Liege for six months before eventually returning to England with Middlesbrough after his United career ended unsavoury.
The 20-time Spain international is a legend at Barcelona, where he played for 12 years after graduating from La Masia, but his career was at a crossroads in 2014 when a serious knee injury scuppered his move to Monaco and left him a free agent after his Barcelona contract expired.
Victor Valdes saves from Hull City's Ahmed Elmohamady in his only United start
View 3 Images
Victor Valdes saves from Hull City's Ahmed Elmohamady in his only United start(Image: Reuters)
Valdes was offered the chance to rehabilitate at Old Trafford under Louis van Gaal and later signed an 18 month contract when he returned to fitness. But his United career was far from glamorous following a difference of opinion with boss Van Gaal, which ultimately wrecked his chances of grabbing the first-team spot, as did the falling through of De Gea's proposed switch to Real Madrid.
The decorated Valdes, who won six La Liga crowns, two Copa del Rey titles, six Spanish Super Cups, three Champions Leagues, two UEFA Super Cups, two FIFA Club World Cups, the 2010 World Cup and 2012 Euros, played only two senior games for United, with one of those where he came on as a late substitute.
It took Valdes five months to play for the senior side having been part of the Under-21s squad and warming the bench for the seniors behind De Gea.
But an injury to United's No.1 saw Valdes get his chance for the last 16 minutes against Arsenal. He would also play the final game of the campaign against Hull, where he kept a clean sheet.
Victor Valdes returned to face De Gea and United while at Middlesbrough
View 3 Images
Victor Valdes returned to face De Gea and United while at Middlesbrough(Image: Matthew Peters)
"He was terrific," said defender Phil Jones after the match. "He pulled off some wonderful saves for us."
But Valdes never played for the club again. Many players have since spoken of the frustrations around the squad regarding Van Gaal's training methods, with Valdes believed to be one of the most outspoken in airing his opinion. And despite publicly committing to stay at the club and fight for his place, behind closed doors, tensions were rising.
So much so, that in July 2015, Van Gaal said: "He is not selected because he doesn't follow our philosophy and there is no place for someone like that. In football, philosophy is how you play and keep your match rhythm. For instance, last year, he refused to play in the second team."
Van Gaal reportedly left Valdes out of the summer tour to the USA after the player refused to play for the Under-21s and then found himself training alone alongside goalkeeping coach Alan Fettis at Carrington, with his training times amended so he would not see any of the first-team squad.
Valdes, by this stage desperate to leave the club, decided to join Standard Liege, a team then ranked seventh in the Belgian Pro League. "He wants to prove he's not dead," said Liege manager Yannick Ferrera said at the time.
His time with Liege was eventually cut short after they promoted several youth players, leaving Valdes looking for a new home. Moves to Besiktas and Sporting Lisbon did not happen, and instead he opted for a return to England with Middlesbrough, where he spoke of his time at United.
He said: "I feel like a professional footballer again after all those hard days in Manchester. It's difficult to explain, but it was hard being alone. Sometimes at United I thought, 'I don't need this', but I am a fighter and a professional.
"This was the biggest fight of my career and I won it. The easy way out was to end my career but now I feel like a professional goalkeeper again.
"I want to say in a public way thank you to the U21 coach Alan Fettis. Without him I may have given up football. He made me keep going and stopped me when I was thinking about bringing my career to an end."
Article continues below
Valdes played 28 times for Boro in the 2016-17 campaign before going on to manage youth sides for Madrid-based outfit Moratalaz and Barcelona and Spanish fourth-tier side Horta. He was most recently manager at Real Avila last year.