He may have won the league title in Spain six times, the Copa del Rey twice and the Champions League on three occasions, but Victor Valdes cannot even get a place on the Manchester United bench these days.
The 33-year-old joined the Red Devils on a free transfer in January, but having made two appearances for the club towards the end of the 2014-15 campaign, a fallout with manager Louis van Gaal has rendered Valdes surplus to requirements at Old Trafford.
The goalkeeper, who was also part of the Spain squad that won the World Cup in 2010 and the European Championships two years later, is no longer considered to be a member of the senior setup and is believed to train alone at the club's Carrington training base.
It all means that Valdes is expected to move on during the upcoming winter transfer window and here, Sports Mole has picked out five potential destinations for the former Barcelona stopper.
1. Newcastle United
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Valdes's agent recently revealed that despite all of his current problems in Manchester, the keeper has adapted to life in England well and his first choice is to remain in the Premier League. With all of his experience, he is likely to appeal to a number of clubs, providing that his wage demands can be met.
One of those in need is Newcastle, who are likely to be without their number one custodian Tim Krul for the remainder of the season due to the cruciate ligament injury that he suffered on international duty earlier this month. With the greatest of respect to current deputy Rob Elliot, Valdes would be a big upgrade and could shore up what has been a particularly porous defence this term.
2. Liverpool
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Such is the level of animosity between Man United and Merseyside rivals Liverpool, no player has made this particular switch since £25,000 changed hands for Phil Chisnall to swap Old Trafford for Anfield in 1964. More recently, Gabriel Heinze tried desperately to force through a move to Liverpool in the summer of 2007, but Sir Alex Ferguson put a block on it.
Even so, it is no secret that new Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp needs a goalkeeper. While Simon Mignolet is a good shot-stopper, there are deficiencies in other parts of his game. Valdes could well be an improvement, although for such a move to happen, he may need to let his contract with United run down until the summer, when he will become a free agent.
3. Bournemouth
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The Cherries have not been linked with Valdes in the gossip columns, but there can be no denying that they have problems between the posts at the moment. A couple of weeks ago away at Manchester City, Adam Federici hardly covered himself in glory. Artur Boruc returned to the side for Sunday's home game against Tottenham Hotspur, but Bournemouth were hammered 5-1, with the Polish keeper at fault for three of those goals.
Valdes's salary may cause a problem for a number of clubs, but maybe not for Bournemouth. Backed by Russian businessman Maxim Demin, last season's Championship champions were not shy in splashing the cash during the summer. Acquiring Valdes's services this winter, particularly when considering his ability and wealth of experience, could be the difference between Bournemouth remaining in the Premier League and going down.
4. Turkey
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Throughout the summer Valdes was strongly linked with a switch to Turkey and in particular Besiktas, with some reports having claimed that the keeper was ready to board a plane to seal the move when it all fell through. It was suggested that at the 11th hour Besiktas attempted to alter the terms of the deal.
Nevertheless, the Super Lig remains a popular destination among experienced players, many of whom are attracted by the large pay packets that are on offer. The likes of Robin van Persie and Wesley Sneijder are based at Istanbul clubs, so Valdes would certainly be in esteemed company were his representatives able to resurrect a deal with an outfit based in the Eastern European nation.
5. MLS
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Somewhere else that players in the autumn of their careers have started to venture is the USA, where the MLS is continually growing in popularity thanks to the arrivals of the likes of David Beckham, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Valdes's fellow Spaniard David Villa. If reports are to be believed Valdes held discussions with the Seattle Sounders in July, but that move never came to fruition.
The current season across the Atlantic is coming to a close, but while that means there will be a little bit of a break now, come January teams will be looking to make additions to their respective squads. Valdes will be 34 by then and having missed so much football because of injury and from now being frozen out, bringing an end to his career somewhere like New York or Los Angeles could very well end up being the most appealing prospect.
Liam Apicella
