Louis van Gaal’s relationship with Víctor Valdés has deteriorated to the point that the outcast goalkeeper is not allowed a dressing-room locker, was excluded from the official Manchester United team photograph and is not even permitted to train with the Under-21 or youth-team players.

Van Gaal’s ostracising of Valdés has taken aback some of the other Manchester United players and left them with a clear impression that the Dutchman can be every bit as uncompromising as Sir Alex Ferguson when he falls out with members of his squad.

Valdés has been isolated to the point that his training schedule is deliberately arranged for times of the day when he will not see his former team-mates. If the squad is training in the morning, Valdés is told to come in during the afternoon, or vice versa. More than once, the times have been switched for the first-team players and if it coincides with Valdés as he trains alone the former Barcelona goalkeeper is given a new time.

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Van Gaal has accused Valdés of refusing to play in an Under-21 game last season and has marginalised him ever since the summer, bringing in Sergio Romero to play ahead of him and also promoting Sam Johnstone in place of a goalkeeper who has won 20 international caps for Spain, six La Liga titles with Barcelona and three Champions Leagues.

Another version of events is slightly different, namely that he went to see Van Gaal to explain that he did not need the extra fitness work of playing in the Under-21s and that it descended into an argument. Valdés was actually a regular performer for the Under-21s last season and thought the row was behind them, not least as he subsequently played in United’s final two games last season when David de Gea was injured.

Instead, when he turned up for pre-season training he discovered that his name-tag had been taken off his dressing-room locker and his belongings removed. Valdés was informed that he was not welcome to appear in the official team photograph and that he would be taking part in training with Alan Fettis, the academy goalkeeping coach. Valdés has been looking to leave Old Trafford ever since but his grievance is not with the club, simply with the manager.

Juan Mata, Valdés’s Spanish colleague, was asked about his friend’s treatment during an interview with Al Primer Toque radio earlier this week. “I speak from the outside, because I don’t really want to talk to the manager about it or Víctor, but it’s a pity. Víctor is a fantastic goalkeeper who had a bad injury at a crucial time in his career and it feels like everything has gone badly for him since then.

“I expect and I hope, because I really like him and we have shared a lot in Manchester over these months, that things go well for him, whether that’s at Manchester United or somewhere else. I imagine that if you spoke to Víctor he would have his reasons and if you spoke to the manager he would have his reasons too. It’s very unfortunate.”

Mata was also asked whether Van Gaal was the way he is portrayed on Spain’s version of Spitting Image, with a stack of bricks as his head and shouting at everyone. “He is a bit different, physically,” Mata said, laughing. “He is the way you see him in the press conferences.

Louis van Gaal is portrayed by Spain’s Spitting Image as a pile of bricks with a notebook. Photograph: YouTube/Canal+

“I think he is honest, direct. When he has to say something bad to you to your face, he says it. When he has to be nice, he is. Sometimes you are training, and he shouts at you if you do something badly. But you do something well and he comes and hugs you and gives you a kiss. You don’t know what might happen.”