Victor Valdes endured a couple of difficult seasons after he left Barcelona but his career is back on track at Middlesbrough.
The Spaniard produced a good performance against Manchester City to help his team earn a point, once which saw him included in Gazzetta dello Sport’s European Team of the Week.
Middlesbrough boss Aitor Karanka has been speaking to Spanish magazine Panenka (via Mundo Deportivo), and revealed he’s been in contact with Valdes since the goalkeeper was at Barcelona.
He said: “My relationship with Victor began when he was injured for the first time. His knee was operated on and I sent him a message, just like I did with Roberto Soldado.
“I saw myself in their situation, and I know that messages of this type help, so I dared to send it. His response was positive.”
Karanka insists he asked Valdes to sign for Middlesbrough before he joined Manchester United, but the Spaniard wasn’t interested that time.
He added: “A year and a half, when he was without a team, I called him. Before that he told me I was crazy I raised him the possibility of Middlesbrough, but he thanked me and told me that he was waiting for other things. Shortly after, he signed for United. We were left with the idea to work together.”
Karanka added he approached Valdes again after his loan spell at Standard Liege, and is happy to have a leader like him in the squad.
He concluded: “I’m happy to have him because the team needed leaders like him. In a chat that we had he told me that I have to be aware that it is not the Valdes of Barcelona.”
Karanka also gave some insight into Valdes getting used to playing with footballers who aren’t quite at the Barcelona level: “Eventually he will (adapt) and become acclimated to the idea of where he is. In training, for example, I’ve had to say that who receives the ball is not Busquets.”
The 34-year-old goalkeeper will now be hoping to revive his career at Middlesbrough, after a very successful career before his serious knee injury.
