Bruno Fernandes has talked up Manchester United’s defensive options.
Harry Maguire limped out of the clash with Aston Villa on Saturday, which means Raphael Varane and Victor Lindelof could line up together against Villarreal.
In an interview with the club’s official website, Bruno praised both of the central defenders.
Lindelof has only had two Premier League starts this season, but Fernandes has been impressed with his displays.
“Of course, he’s a winner. Everyone knows that. He’s a nice guy and works really hard and is always pushing everyone to do better,” Bruno said of Varane.
“He has a great mentality but, at the same time, we cannot forget the other players. Rapha has been brilliant, but Victor [Lindelof] has had an amazing, brilliant beginning to the season.
“Rapha is really important for us. But the main point is everyone being okay to do the best that they can. Rapha has different qualities to Victor, H, Eric and Phil, but they can all add different things.
“Still he’s a little bit shy in some ways, because it’s the beginning for him at United, but I think he’s a leader. He can help in that part of the game.”
A new partnership could form
A Varane-Lindelof axis probably wasn’t what Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was planning for, but it could be United’s defensive duo going forward.
That depends on how quickly Maguire recovers, and he does have a history of trying to play through the pain or coming back quickly.
The pairing could work well, and Lindelof should be keen to make the most of an opportunity to shine.
They are both very calm defenders, with good passing ability and the pace of European football should suit them both.
A clean sheet against Villarreal would give United a great foundation to go and get a crucial result and lessons should have been learned from May’s Europa League final, when Eric Bailly of course partnered Lindelof.
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