Stopper made his feelings clear after Red Devils friendly defeat to Wrexham
Celtic transfer target Radek Vitek is ‘ready’ to leave Manchester United and isn’t overly bothered whether it’s another loan move or a permanent switch.
The 22-year old goalkeeper has been loaned out three times in the last two years - the most recent of which was at Bristol City last season, where he swept the board at the Player of the Year awards. With too many goalkeepers ahead of him in the selection pecking order at Old Trafford, he’s now looking an escape route. Senne Lammers and Altay Bayindir were first and second choice last season, while the signing of Karl Darlow from Leeds United has only made it harder for Vitek to make his mark.
As he looks to be on his way out, Celtic have expressed an interest in the Czechia international as potential replacement for veteran stopper Kasper Schmeichel, who retired last season. Viljami Sinisalo has proved to be a more than capable back up as he helped the club secure the domestic double towards the back end of last season, but manager Martin O’Neill is looking for competition for places in this area.
Vitek kept 13 clean sheets in the EFL Championship last season.placeholder image
Vitek kept 13 clean sheets in the EFL Championship last season. | Getty Images
Celtic transfer target ‘ready’ for United exit
Vitek recently returned to the United squad after being on World Cup duty with Czechia. He featured in their 1-0 friendly defeat to Wrexham in Helsinki, keeping a clean sheet in the second half. After the match, he explained that he’s ‘ready’ to leave the club, regardless of the circumstances as first team minutes under his belt remains his priority.
He told Manchester Evening News: "I feel great and ready to go again somewhere to be, hopefully, number one, so we will see. We will see what is going to happen. At the moment, I am still here, but we will see. I hope so. I hope there will be some interest. I think you will know when things are more concrete."
When asked if he had a preference between a permanent or loan deal, Vitek responded: "I am ready for both, to be fair. Depends what the club wants and also depends on the options. We will see. There have been a few interests on the table. But we hope to get the best one and hopefully it will happen soon."
Goalkeeper is planning Manchester United escape route.placeholder image
Goalkeeper is planning Manchester United escape route. | Getty Images
Vitek targets first team minutes
The 6’ 6” keeper was snapped up by the Manchester United academy at the age of 16 after coming through the ranks at local Czech side Sigma Olomouc, however he is yet to make a competitive appearances for the Red Devils. After featuring for Bristol City on 41 occasions last season, Vitek now has a taste for first team football, which he doesn’t want to be diminished going forward.
He continued: “My mind is still the same. I want to play. I want to play every week and that is the goal for next season. I think hopefully I will find out soon where that is going to be. I think I grew over the past two-and-a-half years when I went on a few loans. I grew in a person-wise, on the pitch as well."