Tom Heaton said Ole Gunnar Solskjaer told him he's looking forward to having him on board at Manchester United.
United's transfer window had been quiet up until this week when it has burst into life, firstly with the official announcement on Thursday that a deal has been agreed in principle for the signing of Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund.
There was more good news to come on Friday, as it was confirmed that experienced goalkeeper Heaton has returned to the club — 11 years on from his departure.
The 35-year-old spent 13-years at United as he rose through the youth ranks and has now signed a two-year deal at Old Trafford, with the option for a further 12 months.
Heaton admitted he cannot wait to get started back where his career began and detailed the conversations he's had with his new manager.
“I’ve had a couple of conversations with him so far and he’s looking forward to getting started and the new season," he told United's official site.
"He’s looking forward to having me on board and, yeah, as I say, I’m looking forward to hitting the ground running. I feel great at the moment. I feel in great shape and I’m looking forward to coming in to compete with the other goalkeepers.
“I’ve got my eyes firmly set on trying to get into the team and I’m looking forward to getting started on that journey.”
Heaton was briefly teammates with Solskjaer at United and played under him for the reserves, and still remembers a key piece of advice the Norwegian gave him as a teenager.
He added: "Obviously, I had him as manager for the Reserves and I saw, very early on in his career as a manager of course, but I could see the signs then in terms of how he went about it, how he set the team up and his man-management skills.
What do you think of the signing of Tom Heaton? Tell us in the comments!
“But, before then, even as a player, his words of advice to all the young lads but me especially. I’ll never forget him pulling me to the side once and saying the summer is not the time to have off as a young player making your way in the game. It’s a time to kick on.
"When everyone else is taking it easy, you’ve got an opportunity to take advantage on other people. So I usually only give myself a couple of weeks off over the summer and then start working. It’s something he drilled into me at probably 18 or 19, at the time, and it’s stayed with me.
“So I’m not surprised he’s gone on to do what he’s done and do what he’s doing at the moment. It was always a path he was likely to take.”
