Sporting director speaks about ‘very talented’ Manchester United player after sealing loan deal

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All eyes are on exits from Manchester United as the transfer window ticks to a close but there will be more moves than that.

Aside from the usual suspects in the senior team inching towards the exit, like Hannibal or Facundo Pellistri, academy players will also be moved on.

By the start of the season, most players know where they stand in the club’s plans for the campaign ahead and moves start happening.

• READ MORE: Manchester United confirmed signings, transfers in, out, loan exits, releases for 2024/25

In the same vein, United have now confirmed the loan move for a player who impressed greatly in pre-season, with the sporting director of the club waxing lyrical about him.

Radek Vitek to BW Linz

Radek Vitek was the star of the first game of the pre-season vs Rosenborg when Andre Onana wasn’t available.

He displayed exceptional shot-stopping ability and deceptively good ball-playing skills, even earning comparisons to Peter Schmeichel.

However, with the goalkeeping department at Old Trafford well stocked for now, the aim was for him to get senior football experience elsewhere on loan.

It had to be at a standard higher than League Two, where he was last season with Accrington Stanley and impressed greatly.

The search settled on Austrian Bundesliga side BW Linz and after the completion of the deal, their sporting director, Christoph Schößwendter, has waxed lyrical about Vitek.

He said to the club’s official website: “With Radek we are getting a very talented young goalkeeper who has already gained a lot of experience in England and is, among other things, part of the goalkeeping team of Manchester United’s first team.

“His skills and strengths fit very well with the profile we are looking for and I am sure that he will be a reinforcement and will soon reach his full potential. Getting a player from Manchester United also shows that we have done a lot of things right as a club and are on the right track.”

Ideal move for Vitek

For a club that has had mixed success with loans for academy players, United have been uniquely successful in their handling of goalkeepers.

Dean Henderson started his loan journey at Shrewsbury from which he progressed to eventually earning England caps.

Right now, Vitek looks to be on a similar trajectory, as after a great League Two loan, he has gone straight to playing against the likes of RB Salaburg in the Austrian top tier.

As a non-English player, he had plenty of options available to move for a loan, not restricted by a preference to move to another English team.

However, by not moving to him homeland of Czech Republic, he has continued to challenge himself while potentially gaining a first-choice role too.

United fans will undoubtedly be keeping a close eye on how Vitek does and if he can build on his impressive displays last season as well as this pre-season.