Manchester United agrees 18-month contract with former Barcelona goalkeeper Victor Valdes

Manchester United have agreed an 18-month contract with former Barcelona goalkeeper Victor Valdes.

The club are set to announce that the 32-year-old has signed on at Old Trafford as understudy to David de Gea.

Valdes has been training with Louis van Gaal’s squad for the last two months as a free agent as part of his recovery from a serious knee injury.

United manager Louis van Gaal has said little about his plans for Valdes but has been impressed enough in recent weeks to offer him a deal.

Valdes’ arrival will give De Gea proper competition at Old Trafford for the first time. Current No 2 Anders Lindegaard is not considered good enough by Van Gaal.

The signing of Valdes will inevitably lead to more talk about De Gea’s future.

United have not been able to get the young Spaniard’s name on a new contract and Real Madrid are keen to have the 24-year-old as a long-term replacement for Iker Casillas.

United are looking to let Lindegaard return to Scandinavia while they will not stand in the way of fellow keeper Ben Amos should a club come in for him.

Credit: Ian Ladyman/SportsMail

Comments