Bristol City loanee Radek Vitek is under contract with Premier League giants, Manchester United, until the summer of 2028
10:15, 19 Mar 2026
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Manchester United loanee Radek Vitek in action for Bristol City(Image: Photo by Ed Sykes/Getty Images)
Manchester United are in the "driver's seat" when it comes to Radek Vitek's future, Gerhard Struber has admitted, but the Bristol City boss believes another season at Ashton Gate could benefit the goalkeeper's development.
Vitek joined the Robins on loan from the Red Devils during the summer transfer window and has been City's first-choice goalkeeper under Struber. So far this term, the 22-year-old has made 33 Championship appearances, conceded 44 goals and kept nine clean sheets.
United held the option to bring the Czech stopper back to Old Trafford during the January transfer window, having handed him a new three-year deal prior to his loan exit, but they opted against recalling him from his spell in the West Country.
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Although Vitek had experience of senior English football prior to his time in south Bristol, after a brief loan spell with Accrington Stanley in League Two, this has been his first full campaign as a first-choice keeper. Naturally, such an experience has seen him progress as the campaign has worn on.
"His presence, how he saves balls, how his mentality is growing to be, in this Bristol City team, not only the goalkeeper," Struber told Bristol Live when asked how the United loanee had developed. "He is a key player.
"We develop him in this direction, with the game time and, of course, with his ability and his professional attitude. At the same time, I think we could find so many things that he could do better because he's so young. When you could work with him for the next few years, he has the door open for one of the best leagues in the world.
"For me, he made interesting steps, especially when I compare him to the season in Austria when he played with Linz. He's made really big steps, but his presence next to the backline, he gives a safety feeling. I would love it when we would have him here longer."
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Having allowed Max O'Leary to complete a permanent move to Championship rivals, West Brom, during the January transfer window and with Vitek's current loan deal set to conclude at the end of the season, the Robins are set to find themselves in the market for a goalkeeper this summer.
At the time of writing, Joe Lumley is the only senior stopper set to be under contract in BS3 at the start of next term, while the Reds do hold the option to extend third-choice keeper Lewis Thomas' deal until the end of the 2026/27 campaign.
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Bristol City goalkeeper Radek Vitek makes a save during the Sky Bet Championship match at the Riverside Stadium, Middlesbrough. Picture date: Saturday March 14, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Richard Sellers/PA Wire. (Image: PA)
Of course, in an ideal world, Struber - like most City supporters - would be keen to retain Vitek's services beyond the summer, whether that be in the shape of another loan deal or a permanent switch.
While the Robins boss feels such a move would provide the 22-year-old with some added stability, he concedes that it is the Red Devils who hold all the cards, with international interest in the Czech stopper's services expected this summer.
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"I think Radek was a really good deal with Manchester United," Struber explained. "[It was] a really big win-win in the end for Radek Vitek, for Manchester United and of course, also, for Bristol City.
"Of course, I would love that Radek would stay here, and we have no topic in the goalkeeper position. On the same time, of course, we have to look really deep right now. Now is the time we can search and be creative, also for loanees also to be ready for a permanent deal.
"In more directions, we have to be here, really open-minded and not close the door [so that] maybe we could only loan," the City boss added on the approach to finding a new goalkeeper this summer. "I think this is not the way I would go.
"It's a very big motorway where we drive and search for a goalkeeper, but hopefully, maybe, Radek will join us another year."
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Asked just how realistic such a hope was, the Austrian replied, "Of course, I think we have to come here, close in contact with Manchester United. This is also not so much in our hands.
"I think with the performances that he's played this season, he has a market, an international market. This is a disadvantage for us when we come in negotiations with him and maybe also Manchester United. On the same time, he realised the first season in England, in the Championship, how this helps him to grow, to develop.
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"One more season here in Bristol could be for him, a really good chance to be a little bit longer, maybe in a loan deal again. This could be in the end for him, a really stable situation. He knows what's going on with the football style with all the game time here; he can rely on this setting.
"It could be also really interesting for him, but that's not in our hands. I think, in this way, Manchester United are in the driver's seat, and we would need them to support Radek Vitek's plans."
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