Valdes can be great for United

By acquiring the services of newly ex-Barca goalkeeper, Manchester United not only managed to deny any opponents points by getting him on the team sheet themselves, but more importantly potentially provided Van Gaal with the cure to his current problem. Should he be brave enough to risk it, Van Gaal has at his disposal a veteran goalkeeper who just happens to be one of the best distributors of the ball in the game from in between the posts. To anyone outside the club, this looks to be a Harry Redknapp style bargain transfer deal. And yet, he hasn't yet featured in a game yet, even that of a less important cup fixture.

Everyone knows that Van Gaal prefers the Ajax system of which the newly appointed predecessor to Moyes and Ferguson is looking to implement in North West England (after all, he was a central fit to establishing it in the first place!), and Valdes as a goalkeeper can easily become the missing link in a system that revolves around ball retention and link play to create a constant press high up the pitch whilst keeping possession. Therefore a goalkeeper in this system has to be good at their feet. The very thing Valdes is famed for. Yes, that's right; the proverbial modern 'sweeper keeper' that is becoming more and more popular with the likes of Neuer pushing it to its limits and Ter Stegen (another not-so-typical German goalie, both seemingly fighting for the no1 shirt soon enough) shifting the ball from both feet.

It is pretty obvious then that Van Gaal chooses his goalkeepers to fit the system off ball retention and pushing high up the pitch, with the skillset to match; hence why Krul was saved for penalties and why Cillissen got the starts, due to his abilities in playing the ball and in 1-on-1 situations (which arise from a high line and gaps opening up for attackers to slip through). Ironically Vorm can do both; known for his penalty killing abilities alongside his inarguable sweeping technique, but it seemed coaching staff were more worried about injury concerns and not being involved in the qualifying stages for the team to be used to him.

Anyway, for a manager that is happy to take the risk of switching goalkeepers going into extra time in a World Cup semi-final of all things, gambling on the penalty saving skills of that choice, with the chips down on a shootout, for it to pay off, I can't see what the problem is. Whilst De Gea has been amazing (those saves stemming from his deep positioning and athletic style), he is a totally different style of goalkeeper than Valdes, and without Victor, Van Gaal's system won't work as well as it can.

Teams that have missed out on Valdes

With Valdes signing for Man United in the January transfer window, after rehabbing his season and career ending injury (at least in terms of encouraging his move away!) at Barcelona, in a move similar to that of Craig Gordon making a comeback at Celtic, it is worth looking back at other teams that could or should have made a move for him, and why.

• Liverpool

Other than struggling with crosses and save making compared to his breakout season with the club where it looked like he could take them to a title finish (), Mignolet isn't too confident playingan outlet pass from the back and doesn't look too comfortable playing behind a high line. Unfortunately for him, this is something that works well for the team under Brendan Rogers and is likely to be difficult in the long run. Ironically this is the same role that Reina provided (now content to simply warm the bunch for that well known Ballon D'Or contendor at Munich) and played so well in when he was at the Kop. However, instead of simply bringing him back into the fold, Liverpudlian management have made a major boob losing his services. Not only is he a suitable shot stopper, Valdes would be a perfect fit for a team that needs their goalkeeper to have the feet of a midfielder.

• Arsenal

Given that Wenger finally gave Ospina his first Premier League start after a long wait without much playing time to adjust to the British game on loan or for the U21's, it seems the veteran French manager may finally take a gamble on his goalkeeping options. With dissent supposed to be brewing in the dressing room and a calmer head needed for their goalkeeper of choice, Valdes could capably bring more to the table than others. With Martinez getting bench time after a strong oan time at Sheffield Wednesday,it's safe to say they could cash in on their Polish star and reuse funds to invest in a new strikeforce perhaps. After all, the Gunners are another team that love to push forward, with a fair amount of fans screaming at the missed chance to bring in Lloris against their rivals, who are currently loving his sweeper keeping successes (with Vorm also brought in to fill that role in Europe and cup games).

•  Leicester or Southampton

Victor has made it pretty clear that he wants to try out pastures nwe and see more of the world after a long and famous career as franchise goalkeeper at Barcelona. With Ter Stegen proving easily how much of a dab hand (or foot should I say!) moving the ball accurately from both feet - you wouldn't believe how rare this is for a top class 'keeper, thus making him much of a keeper for the Catalans down the road! Monaco are doing fine with their bargain, underrated Slovak, Sirigu has solidified his spot, so unless he fancies a trip State side, the UK would be a good start.

A very outfield theory, but the newly promoted side are in dire need of goalkeepers with Schmeichel injured.

Personally, I think he would make a great starter at Southampton. Pochettini set up the groundworks for a high line needing a sweeper keeper, and Valdes can offer this in spades. Doing well and likely to want to try their hand at European competition, Valdes' veteran experiences in the Champions League would be so useful. That and he could provide suitable tutelage to Gazzaniga he has proven his own sweeper abilities and could have the mentorship of Victor to iron out the technique, sometimes getting caught on the backfoot by his communication skills with his defenders, instead of pushing up to clear.

For now, that's all I can really think of, as there aren't too many top tier teams looking for a goalkeeper, and Real Madrid might not want to take on a previous player of their arch rivals!