Victor Valdes included in Manchester United squad despite Louis van Gaal's pledge to sell him

The Spanish goalkeeper was left out of the club’s pre-season tour of the USA by manager Louis van Gaal.

The Dutchman then said the 33-year-old would be sold as he “refused to play in the reserves”.

"He doesn't follow my philosophy. There is no place for someone like that," added Van Gaal.

Yet, after a proposed move to Besiktas fell through, the keeper stayed at United beyond the transfer window.

He will compete with David de Gea, whose own move to Real Madrid collapsed late on because of a technical hitch, for the no 1 shirt.

The news comes 24 hours after Valdes missed out on a spot in United's Champions League delegation, despite De Gea making the cut.

De Gea is away on Spain duty, ahead of games against Slovakia and Macedonia, but United have moved to include him in their preparations for the rest of the season.

The 24-year-old is yet to feature this season after Louis van Gaal claimed he was not in the right frame of mind to feature against Tottenham on the opening day.

His move to Real Madrid on Monday broke down after the paperwork didn't make it through before the deadline in Spain.

However it is understood Van Gaal believes he can re-ignite his career, and reports today suggested he may even sign a new deal at the club.

Should De Gea play in the group stage, he would be cup-tied should Madrid revive their interest in the winter transfer window.

New £36million recruit Anthony Martial is also included on a 26-player list, along with Van Gaal's other five summer signings in Sergio Romero, Matteo Darmian, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Morgan Schneiderlin and Memphis Depay.

But there is no place in the squad for Victor Valdes who failed to secure a move away from Old Trafford.

Van Gaal didn’t have a lot of choice, did he? With De Gea not being selected in the Premier League after his head was turned by Real Madrid and new signing Sergio Romero making a blunder against Swansea, United need one of their goalkeepers to make the No 1 shirt his own.

It’s more than likely that will be De Gea now, but if not then Van Gaal needs to give himself some insurance and Valdes, the former Barcelona keeper with a wealth of experience, could find himself back in favour if all else fails.