‘Ready to Go’—Man Utd Goalkeeper Confirms Desire to Leave Club

The Red Devils are overseeing a big shake-up in goal.

Michael Carrick is working to finalize his squad. | Ash Donelon/Manchester United/Getty Images

Manchester United goalkeeper Radek Vítek has confirmed he wants to leave the club permanently in search of a regular starting role.

Vítek, 22, spent last season on loan in the Championship with Bristol City and returned to United this summer buoyed by 12 clean sheets in England’s second tier. A season on the bench for the Red Devils, who are yet to hand him a senior debut, is out of the question.

“I feel great and ready to go again somewhere to hopefully be No. 1,” Vítek said after keeping a clean sheet in his half of Saturday’s 1–0 preseason defeat to Wrexham. “I hope there will be some interest. I think you will know when the things are more concrete.

“I’m ready for both [a loan or a permanent exit] to be fair. It depends on what the club wants and also depends on the options and, yeah, we’ll see.

“There’s been a few interests on the table, but we’re hoping to get the best one and hopefully it will happen soon. I want to play every week and that’s the goal for next season. Hopefully I find out soon where that’s going to be.”

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Man Utd Working to Finalize Goalkeeper Department

Radek Vítek’s time at the club could be coming to an end. | Ash Donelon/Manchester United/Getty Images

It was last summer that United’s goalkeeper rebuild began. The decision was made to move on from André Onana, and in came Belgium international Senne Lammens. After eight clean sheets in his debut season, the 24-year-old remains Michael Carrick’s preferred starter.

Onana spent last season on loan with Trabzonspor and has already returned to the Turkish side for another 12-month stint, and he could soon be followed out the exit door by Altay Bayındır after three years of struggling for minutes.

The plan to move on from Bayındır meant there was going to be an opportunity for a new deputy at Old Trafford this season, but United have declined to give that role to Vítek, whose desire to play regular minutes shows he would not have accepted anyway.

In came Karl Darlow from Leeds United, with the 35-year-old veteran joining Lammens and 40-year-old Tom Heaton in Carrick’s current goalkeeper ranks, once again highlighting the lack of pathway for Vítek, who only signed a new contract last summer.

Vítek is facing no shortage of admirers after winning Bristol City’s Player of the Year, Players’ Player of the Year and the Young Player of the Year awards last season.

He was expected to resolve his future before preseason but has subsequently traveled with Carrick’s senior squad. Whether Vítek will be involved in United’s next friendly against Rosenborg on July 24 is yet to be decided.

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