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Some players take a while to really come good and show their value to the team. Sometimes it takes time to adapt, or a certain manager, or some time out of the spotlight before becoming the best version of themselves. For Victor Lindelof at Manchester United, it has taken all three.
Today marks the six-year anniversary of the Swede’ signing for the club. United had spent the best part of a year chasing the SL Benfica defender, eventually paying €35m to secure his services. Despite the sizeable fee and the expectation that came with it, Lindelof very much ended up a squad rotation player under Jose Mourinho. It is easy to wonder whether the Portuguese coach really had any interest in the player, given his notable lack of physicality and aggression – traits highly sought after by the current AS Roma manager.
It took until Ole Gunnar Solskjaer‘s first full season at the helm for Lindelof’s position as a starter to become undisputed – a full two years into the defender’s time at Old Trafford. There were still obvious cracks in his game, with a lack of physical presence and an overly cautious style of defending often costing United in key moments, particularly against the bruising centre forwards of the Premier League.
In theory, Harry Maguire was the perfect partner for the Sweden international. One would scurry backwards while the other charged forwards; on paper at least, the two appeared to cover each other’s weaknesses. Time on the pitch together (arguably far, far too much time) proved decisively that a nice idea does not always translate to the real world.
Solskjaer’s last season saw Raphael Varane recruited, while Erik ten Hag’s first brought Lisandro Martinez to the club. An excellent partnership between the pair seemed to spell the end for both of United’s formerly first-choice centre backs. Not so for Lindelof, at least.
His gametime was certainly limited by the increased competition, even so far as leading to speculation that the Scandinavian would be sold right up until March. But through April and May, Lindelof starting all but two of the 16 matches for which he was available, capitalising on injuries proving himself to be a valuable member of the first-team squad. United’s 10 clean sheets during that run of games is a testament to Lindelof’s consistency and ability to step in for the stricken Martinez.
Due to his two-footedness, he has been able to seamlessly step in for either the Argentine or Varane throughout the season, pushing Maguire even further down the pecking order as the campaign wore on.
His weakness in the air and his hesitation in putting in challenges seem to have been ironed out at least as well. Over the course of the Premier League campaign, Lindelof has put in 1.1 tackles per 90 minutes, while winning 62% of his aerial duels. By contrast, Maguire, the man who was brought in to cover the Swede’s weaknesses, managed 0.5 tackles per game with an aerial win-rate of just 53%.
Erik ten Hag has been faced with a few selection dilemmas this season, but he will be grateful to Lindelof for answering one for him through his performances. The 28-year-old has become the go-to player for defensive rotation, usurping the club captain pretty handily.
It is because of this that the 231-appearance United star looks set for a new contract at the club and is very much in the manager’s plans going forward. His ability of the ball has never really been in question, but he seems to have honed this talent too, achieving a higher passing accuracy than any other player in the league last term.
It is easy to say with hindsight that Lindelof was always going to be a good fit under Ten Hag, but the leaps and bounds the defender has come on have taken plenty around Old Trafford by surprise.
Manchester United may well look to bring in another central defender – they will likely be forced to should Harry Maguire be sold, as many expect. But the performances of Victor Lindelof towards the tail-end of the season are bound to reduce the frenzy to do so. Entering his prime and looking every bit the part, year number seven promises to be a good one for the once-maligned defender.
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