Manchester United defender Victor Lindelof was selected to start against Leicester on Sunday and stepped up impressively.
This was only Lindelof’s fifth Premier League start of the season, and his first since the 3-0 victory over Bournemouth at Old Trafford back on January 3.
Back in the line-up, Lindelof helped United to another clean sheet, with the Red Devils winning by the same scoreline.
Lindelof has started the odd game in cup competition since, and featured as a substitute, but he is regarded as more of a back-up currently.
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Lindelof praised
As back-ups go, you would struggle to find one better than the Sweden international captain, who is into his sixth season as a Manchester United player.
He has been further bumped down the pecking order by Luke Shaw’s shift to centre-back, and he may only have been in the team at the weekend with Harry Maguire suffering a late injury, while Raphael Varane was rested.
It is to Lindelof’s credit that he stepped in so seamlessly, and his teammates clearly appreciated his contribution.
Diogo Dalot wrote ‘what a player’ in response to Lindelof’s post-match Instagram post, while Bruno Fernandes wrote ‘elite performance’.
The highlight of Lindelof’s performance was a crunching tackle late in the game, with the defender looking like a player who wanted to make up for a recent lack of action.
He completed more passes (69) than any player on the pitch, winning three tackles and making eight clearances.
He looks very comfortable playing alongside Lisandro Martinez, and if Harry Maguire is sold in the summer, keeping Lindelof must be a priority.