Manchester United cut player from first-team goalkeeper training at Carrington

Veteran goalkeeper Joe Lewis' training arrangement with Manchester United has ended.

The Manchester Evening News revealed before Christmas that Lewis had been taking part in academy training at Carrington to keep fit after leaving Aberdeen by mutual consent.

Lewis initially trained with the academy and stepped up to senior sessions when extra numbers were required, but he spent the final months of last season predominantly helping the first-team, working alongside Andre Onana, Tom Heaton and Altay Bayindir at Carrington.

It's understood Lewis was not on a United contract and was training with the club to maintain fitness as a free agent, and it was seen as a mutually beneficial arrangement.

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Club sources have confirmed Lewis didn't report for the start of pre-season on Monday and the player spoke about his time at United in an interview with a Scottish outlet last weekend.

After leaving Aberdeen, Lewis' family relocated to Wilmslow, Cheshire, where his wife’s family are from, and his friendship with Heaton led to the training arrangement.

"I know Tom through mutual friends, so I’d sit and chat with him on Friday evening watching our kids play football," Lewis told The Press & Journal. "He said: ‘Look there might be a vacancy and we might need another keeper – would you be up for it?’ I said: ‘Yeah, definitely.'"

From that conversation, Lewis spoke to United coaches and was brought into Carrington. "I went in from November to get my fitness up with the academy," he said.

"Then, from just before Christmas until the end of the season, I was training with the first team. It allowed one