The recent transfer window saw Manchester United loan 17 players, up from five in the first half of the season.
Not all 17 loans will succeed, as we’ve seen before, and Donny van de Beek is struggling after being kept out of Eintracht Frankfurt’s weekend lineup.
Radek Vitek, the FA Youth Cup winner, has had a great start.
Vitek’s first loan was to League Two side Accrington Stanley in late January.
Vitek wins again as man of the match
After winning man of the match on his loan debut last week, Radek Vitek had another good game.
He preserved a clean sheet in a 1-0 win over Forest Green Rovers last week and again this week.
Vitek, 20, won man of the match for Accrington Stanley’s 0-0 tie with Grimsby after another shutout.
According to Accrington Stanley’s official account, @radekkobel won the #asfc Supporters’ Man of the Match award for yesterday’s game with 61% of the voting. Congratulations, Radek!”
Both managers laud Radek Vitek
Afterward, manager John Coleman praised his astonishing late save in injury time to salvage a point.
Coleman told Sportsmax: “Our keeper made a great save late on. Radek has started well with us [two clean sheets] and has blended well with the boys. It will be a beneficial move for all parties.”
Grimsby manager David Artell said, “It was an unbelievable save from Danny [Rose]’s header at the end.”
According to Stanley’s YouTube channel, Vitek is finding it different from under-21 football, with more pressure to ‘concentrate all the time’, which he is overcoming.
“Thank you for your support,” he wrote on X. Amazing fans. Clean sheet first home game. Shame we didn’t get all 3 points, but we’ll try again next week.”
Manchester United trusts Vitek
Breaking into goalkeeping is difficult for young players. Unlike midfielders, they can’t be substituted for experience in the final 20 minutes, and rotation rarely helps the side.
Loans are Vitek’s best means to grow, and this first period is off to a fantastic start. Next year, he’ll certainly face tougher competition.
Manchester United wisely extended the young Czech’s contract until June 2027 before his loan move.
