Bristol City: 'Big concern' raised as Man Utd could take January action | OneFootball

Radek Vitek has captured hearts at Bristol City, but there could be a fight on to keep him

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Manchester United loanee Radek Vitek has made an incredible start to Championship life with Bristol City.

The temporary switch was agreed in July, to run the course of the 2025/26 season, and he impressed in his first outing for the Robins and has kept up the momentum ever since.

However, reports of the loan agreement from the likes of the BBC were accompanied by an ominous notification that the Premier League side retain the option of a January recall, perhaps a nod to how highly he’s rated at Old Trafford.

We asked our Bristol City fan pundit, Tom Rawle, whether the looming possibility of a recall is worrying, and whether a permanent deal could be on the cards.

Back-up options required for Bristol City in case Radek Vitek goes

Speaking to Football League World, Tom said: “Absolutely concerned about Vitek potentially going back in January.

“He's arguably been up there with our Player of the Season for me. I think I either said here or in the Bristol Live column that I did that, that he's going to be up there with our Player of the Season.

“And ultimately, he is, you know, a very, very good goalkeeper, so you can understand why Manchester United are probably going to want him back.

“We do need to be prepared either to replace him or have somebody in the wings coming up.

“Max O'Leary, who's our number two, I don't really fancy him if I'm honest. I've not really been a fan of his over the years.

“Vitek gives us something absolutely that we need.

“Permanent deal-wise, given that he just signed a contract last January, I can't see that happening unless we do the unthinkable and get promoted.

“But yeah, big concern that he will get recalled in January, and I hope we're doing everything in our power to keep him, and convince Manchester United that his development should continue at Ashton Gate.”

Bristol City will have keen eye on Manchester United squad developments

As things stand, the Robins are in a relatively comfortable position when it comes to keeping Vitek beyond the January clause.

Ruben Amorim has used two different goalkeepers in big fixtures for United this season, with Altay Bayindir and new signing Senne Lammens both receiving starts in the Premier League, the latter in particular impressing on his debut.

The Reds also have veteran gloveman Tom Heaton in reserve as their third-choice goalkeeper for emergencies, with last season’s first-choice, Andre Onana, on loan at Trabzonspor.

Against that backdrop, recalling the 21-year-old Vitek would seemingly make little sense, as he would presumably be behind both Bayindir and Lammens in the pecking order at a minimum.

Aside from concurrent injuries for that duo, at precisely the point the January recall clause is active, it seems unlikely there’d be a clear route to minutes for Vitek at Old Trafford.

The club could, of course, recall him to send him elsewhere, but save for a Premier League club suddenly needing Vitek as a starter, there are few places he could go for the second half of the season that would represent a significant upgrade.

Vitek’s development, in the most likely circumstances, will be best served at Ashton Gate until the end of the season, and Robins fans like Tom will be praying that remains the case.

Given United opted to insert a January recall clause and recently signed him to a new deal, it seems unlikely they’ll want to let him go permanently anytime soon, but Bristol City’s chances of holding the Czech until the end of the season seem promising.