Victor Valdés to return to Manchester United

Victor Valdés is returning to Manchester United after having his loan deal with Belgian club Standard Liège cut short. One may assume that's because the Spaniard is something of a pain in the backside, though, perhaps surprisingly, that doesn't actually seem to be the reason. In an official statement, Standard confirmed that Valdés and Greek midfielder Giannis Maniatis are both out for the rest of the season with injury, and so have been sent back to their parent clubs:

"As we decided to give more playing time to the youth players at the end of the season and because they couldn't be selected for medical reasons, the Spanish goalkeeper and the Greek midfielder have decided, in agreement with the club, to finish their loans at the end of this week.

"Standard Liege want to thank Giannis and Victor for everything they did for our club, especially during the successful campaign on the way to winning the Belgian Cup. We also wish them the best in the rest of their professional careers."

Valdés' United contract is set to expire at the end of the season, and the Spaniard is very unlikely to renew at Old Trafford. It's a pity that this move hasn't worked out: he's almost certainly still a better backup option than Sergio Romero, and Louis van Gaal's treatment of Valdés perhaps wasn't always as respectful as it should've been.

Still, Valdés is 34 now, and will leave United having played the grand total of 106 minutes of league football. It's a pity his time on the field is most memorable for the Tyler Blackett shank he allowed to creep in at home to Arsenal last May. We can't say he'll be missed too much.