Wayne Rooney has now suggested that his former teammate Victor Valdes was shocked by the standards of Selhurst Park upon his visit.
Victor Valdes was probably one of the best goalkeepers of the opening 12 years of this millennium, and after departing Barcelona he joined Manchester United.
Here, he provided backup to David de Gea’s support from the bench for the most part.
Now, Wayne Rooney has explained that Valdes was shocked by Crystal Palace‘s stadium upon his visit to Selhurst Park.
Here’s what he said…
Wayne Rooney on what Victor Valdes was thinking about Selhurst Park
When speaking to the Manchester United official website alongside Rio Ferdinand, Rooney was discussing his FA Cup preferences ahead of his former side’s game against Liverpool on Sunday.
In doing so, he pointed out that playing against bigger teams was always favoured due to the quality of pitches being played on.
He continued this by sharing how former Barcelona and United Spanish goalkeeper Valdes felt about playing at Selhurst Park.
“I remember Victor Valdes when he signed and I think his first three games, it was like Yeovil away, and even Palace away at the time, Fulham away, he was like ‘what is happening here’.”
Selhurst Park is improving much to the delight of Crystal Palace
Despite this reaction, Selhurst Park should be a vastly different stadium in the near future as the club looks to commence work on an upgrade.
The Eagles are planning to expand the 25,486-seater stadium in South London, with The Athletic reporting in October 2023 that a new 13,500-seater Main Stand is close to being organised.
This would be a huge development for the club which could really help the club solidify their position as an established Premier League team.
Steve Parish has signified that redevelopment is crucial to see the team remain competitive in the Premier League as it could bring in an extra £20m-£30m per season.
