Manchester United Transfer News: David De Gea Says Victor Valdes Not Replacement

Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea insists Victor Valdes will not signal his departure from the club should the free agent pen a contract at Old Trafford.

Valdes has been recovering from a knee injury with the Red Devils and is still without a club. However, De Gea does not feel his compatriot's arrival will shunt him toward the exit door despite the fact his own deal expires in 2016.

De Gea told AS TV (h/t ESPN FC):

"

Yes, my contract runs out in 2016. But they didn't sign him for that. Victor had a difficult injury, he had a bad time and the boss knows him well and has given him the opportunity to recover there. 

Yes, Victor is training over in Manchester -- he's still not 100 percent after his injury. When he is fully fit he will start to train with us. He's still not training in goal with us. From time to time he comes out with the goalkeeping coach, but very little still. Van Gaal knows him well because he gave Victor his debut at Barca and has a special affection for him and, whenever possible, we have to help where we can.

"

De Gea is coping with an injury of his own at present after dislocating a finger while on international duty with Spain, and it's possible Anders Lindegaard will deputise in Saturday's fixture at Arsenal.

He joins Daley Blind and a host of other sidelined figures likely to miss the trip to north London, and Rob Dawson discussed with Bleacher Report's Ryan Bailey where United go from here:

As the ESPN report mentions, Van Gaal's No. 1 has become linked with a La Liga return at Real Madrid, but De Gea moved to quash speculation earlier in the week, saying, "I'm in England for several years now, and it's true that at the start it was difficult -- but now I'm very happy and I feel very loved by the people in Manchester and everything is going well."

Per Norwegian pundit Jan Aage Fjortoft, it's been suggested that De Gea could be used as a makeweight for the English giants to sign Gareth Bale from Los Blancos:

While United have struggled for clean sheets this season—they have only three in 11 Premier League games—De Gea has enjoyed good form between their posts.

It signals a culmination of the Spaniard's evolution since arriving from Atletico Madrid in an £18 million deal three years ago, a move that initially appeared foolish when De Gea struggled in his new surroundings.

Alex Livesey/Getty Images

Given his current trajectory, De Gea assuredly sits highly on the club's list of priority players at present, and it would be a surprise if Van Gaal was looking into the idea of replacing him in goal anytime soon.

Valdes is still a risky prospect given that he's yet to even return to full training, according to De Gea, but should he sign with the club before going on to impress, the Red Devils may yet discover new competition.

Jon Super/Associated Press

De Gea hasn't had to deal with any significant jostle for the No. 1 jersey during his Manchester tenure, and it could be of intrigue to see how the 24-year-old responds with such a respected figure contending for his place.

For now, though, the temporarily crocked stopper remains confident of his role at Old Trafford, although Valdes may be edging closer to signing along the dotted line.