Louis van Gaal has explained why free agent Victor Valdes is training with Manchester United.
It was confirmed on Thursday that Valdes, without a club after leaving Barcelona in the summer and still recovering from a serious knee injury that has ruled him out since March, would regain fitness at the Premier League club.
Speculation said that Valdes was to move to Old Trafford, where he would compete with Spain international David De Gea, but van Gaal said that isn’t necessarily the case.
“For me it's not a surprise because I have done it already with a lot of players,” he told a Press conference, Man Utd’s official site reports.
“I have a relationship with a lot of players. I gave Ronald de Boer or Edgar Davids rehabilitation possibility or training possibility when they needed that, so he is one of these players.
“Robin van Persie, when he played for me in the Dutch squad last year, I allowed him to come to our medical department to get him fit for the World Cup. It's the same.
“I wasn't the manager of United at the time. So I have always done that, and not only with big players but ones you've never heard of.”
Asked if it meant Valdes would be signing for United, van Gaal gave an open-ended answer.
“Manchester United always have their eyes open,” came the reply.
