Manchester United are starting to get their squad in shape on this pre-season, and decisions on many players hint at how the club see their future.
The absence of European football means fewer opportunities to impress, so the likes of Harry Amass have already been told to prioritise first-team football elsewhere.
More players are expected to follow his lead after returning from the USA tour, when Ruben Amorim will have an even better idea of who he wants to keep.
For example, Sekou Kone’s handling has been worrying, so plans might change for him again, in a step backward. Plans seem to have changed for another wonderkid, but it’s a step forward in that case.
Plans change for Radek Vitek
Radek Vitek was arguably the biggest success story on loan last season for Man Utd, impressing at BW Linz to build on a successful pre-season at Old Trafford.
Returning to a club where Andre Onana was not in form, and then injured, had many expecting that Vitek would be given a chance to fight for a place at United.
However, Vitek was deemed not ready, and a potential loan to Sturm Graz looked set to be arranged.
That loan was a huge step up as well, since they are the defending champions of the league he impressed in (Austria) with BW Linz.
However, Manchester World reports indicate that Vitek will not be joining Sturm Graz. Instead, United are set to sanction a move for him to Bristol City.
Bristol City played the Championship promotion playoffs last season, so the prospect of Vitek being the No. 1 for a Championship side is much more enticing than playing in Austria.
Man Utd see Vitek as a future first-team player
That change of plans indicates that United genuinely see Vitek as a potential No. 1 at Old Trafford in the future for a couple of reasons.
For starters, it has been proven time and again that the English league presents challenges unlike any other, so the club will feel a lot more confident handing him the reins at United if he comes after impressing in the Championship instead of Austria.
Secondly, this follows the path Dean Henderson took, only with a detour. Like Henderson, Vitek started with and impressed at Accrington Stanley in League Two, but went outside the English league system after that.
Now that he’s returning directly to the second division, it’s similar to Henderson’s loan at Sheffield United, with whom he won promotion and established himself as a Premier League-level goalkeeper.
The ideal scenario would be for Bristol to get promoted and Vitek to play in the Premier League with them next season.
Even if that doesn’t happen, a strong season at Bristol will count for a lot more than another strong season in Austria.
He’s moving closer to a first-team berth at Man Utd, and a stop at Bristol is much more beneficial for his prospects than a second stop in Austria.
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