Victor Valdes to leave Manchester United: Louis van Gaal reveals goalkeeper will be sold after refusing to play for reserves

Valdes joined United on a free transfer in January and has a year left to run on his contract but will be sold this summer, says Van Gaal

Manchester United goalkeeper Victor Valdes (Getty Images)

Victor Valdes will be sold by Manchester United after manager Louis van Gaal revealed the goalkeeper refused to play for the club's reserve team last season.

The Spain international joined United on a free transfer after he left Barcelona at the end of the 2013/14 season when his contract expired. Having initially trained at the club to help regain his fitness following a serious knee injury that kept him out of the 2014 World Cup, Valdes penned an 18-month deal in January, before making his Premier League debut in the penultimate game of the season as he came off the bench to replace an injured David De Gea in the 1-1 draw with Chelsea.

Valdes also started the final match against Hull, but Van Gaal has revealed that he intends to sell the 33-year-old because he does not believe in the Dutchman's philosophy, with his surprise omission from United pre-season tour of the United States an indication that Valdes has no future at Old Traffod.

"He doesn't follow my philosophy. There is no place for someone like that," said Van Gaal.

"There is not one place for one player – the philosophy is how you play football and how you maintain your match rhythm. For example, he refused last year to play in our second team.

“That is one aspect of our philosophy but there are a lot of others for how you play like a goalkeeper for Manchester United. When you are not willing to follow the principles of the philosophy there is only one way and that is out.”

Van Gaal added that the signing of Valdes had been a "big disappointment" and confirmed that he will actively seek to sell the goalkeeper before the close of the transfer window at the end of August.

Valdes had implied that he was staying at United (twitter.com/1victorvaldes)

“For us it is a big disappointment. We thought he will follow our philosophy but it is a pity because we have given him an opportunity to rehabilitate and then we gave him a contract. Then when he is fit to play and when you are not playing in the first selection [team] you have to play in the second. He refused that.”