It was late realisation for Jose Mourinho that only Eric Bailly was not enough to bolster Manchester United’s struggling defence. With Chris Smalling still out with an injury and Phil Jones clearly unable to take the burden of central defence all by himself, Manchester United are in desperate need of a quality central defender and they are heavily linked with many enforcers in the upcoming transfer window.
A new option has emerged out of the blue for United in Benfica’s Victor Lindelof as per reports and given the fact that the central defender is a close friend of the Red Devils forward Zlatan Ibrahimović, United have a good chance of landing the young prodigy.
According to Lindelof’s agent Hakan Cetinkaya, a January departure is very much on the cards and he is looking at various options from across Europe. United might have to fight with likes of Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus to sign him.
Cetinkaya told Record, “The transfer window isn’t open yet, but Victor is already very much in demand. As a result, I’ve scheduled interviews with some of the biggest clubs in Europe to talk about his future. The most important thing is for the deal to be done at the right moment. But I’m optimistic. There’s a good chance he’ll leave the club this winter. If not, it’ll be next summer.”
The 22-year-old has impressed with his brilliant passing from the deep positions and has a lot of suitors vying for his presence at the back. Lindelof has shown maturity way beyond his age and his style of play, which involves short passes to take the team out of difficult situations and provide an effective counter-attack, has garnered a lot of praise.
His form has been unproven to a large extent this season so far. He has appeared 10 times for Benfica winning nine tackles this season with a success rate of 60%. He has made 17 interceptions, 39 clearances, and four blocks.
United‘s defence has been highly erratic this season losing focus repeatedly and as a result, they have found themselves behind against weaker teams on many occasions or have let leads slip away. At 187cm, Lindelof is more than physically eligible to meet English Premier League’s demands.
Having a player like Lindelof could be a huge level up for United but he is still a kid and there are moments when he mistiming his tackles. Like every new recruit, he will surely take his time to adapt to the pace of the league and not be a starter right on the go. United, however, need someone who can fit in seamlessly.
