'I couldn't turn down Man Utd – but I'm not going to warm the bench for them'

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Radek Vitek admitted he "couldn't turn down" the chance to join Manchester United but will not remain as a deputy for Senne Lammens . The Czech goalkeeper joined United in 2020 as a youth player but is yet to make a senior competitive appearance for the club.

Vitek did play through the youth ranks at Old Trafford but headed out on loan to Accrington Stanley in 2024. Another temporary move to the Austrian Bundesliga followed before he settled as first-choice 'keeper for Bristol City in 2025.

The 22-year-old has made 37 appearances for the Championship side, keeping 11 clean sheets in over 3,300 minutes of action. He secured his position between the sticks after fellow shotstopper Max O’Leary got injured during pre-season.

After initially being signed as cover, Vitek has shown his skills and told The Sun that he is not happy just collecting a salary without contributing. He said: "It was a difficult task to keep the shirt but in the back of my mind, I always wanted to stay here and play the whole season. That was my goal.

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"At this stage in my career, at a young age, I want to play as many games as possible. I wouldn’t benefit from sitting on the bench here, or anything else."

Vitek explained that while he couldn't say no to the opportunity with United, he is keen to push Lammens out of the first-team and become the newest hero at Old Trafford. He said: "At the moment, I’m focusing on the end of the season and finishing as strong as possible for Bristol City with eight games to play.

"I just want to give my best for the club and to build my platform towards next season. I will communicate with Man United closely and we will see what’s going to be best for me next season.

"But I want to play football. I don’t want to just be somewhere sitting on the bench. I really appreciate the trust [United] are giving me. Obviously, I am going step by step."

Describing his journey to Manchester, Vitek added: "I couldn’t turn down Manchester United at such a young age. I knew it would be a challenge; new country, new language.

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"But if you don’t work for something in life, you can’t achieve much. Looking back, I did the right thing. It builds my personality and character as well. You speak about mentality; when you work hard every day towards something, towards the weekend, you feel much better and more confident.

"There have been some difficult times but when you overcome that, it builds you up, you have more confidence and you believe in yourself. I have always been a bit of a loner because I moved from my hometown at a really young age to play for Sigma Olumuc, which was over an hour from my home.

"I stayed over the week some days, so I was already used to the travel and being on my own. But I have graduated to a different level. When I came to Man United first, I wasn’t anywhere near the agility level or movement level where I am now.

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