Valdes still improving for Middlesbrough, says Schwarzer

Middlesbrough stopper Victor Valdes is coming into his own between the sticks at the Riverside this season according to club legend Mark Schwarzer.

After joining the club in the summer, Valdes has featured in seven of Boro’s nine Premier League fixtures so far this term, and kept his first clean sheet for his new club at Arsenal on Saturday.

The former Barcelona man and three-time Champions League winner made a string of fine saves in the 0-0 draw, foiling Alexis Sanchez on a number of occasions.

And Schwarzer – who made over 400 appearances in the No.1 jersey for Boro – was surprised by the Spaniard’s level of play and believes he will be a key factor in the Teessiders’ Premier League survival bid.

“I thought Valdes had one of his best games for Middlesbrough so far,” Schwarzer said.

“He’s been out injured for quite some time [before this season] so what he did really well was come out and dominate his area.

“I was pleasantly surprised because I’d never really seen him do that before.

“The best save of the match was from him [to deny Alexis Sanchez]. It was a very difficult save to make, you can see the ball swerves away very late.”