Manchester United must sell Victor Lindelof now, the Sweden international’s time has run out.
After seven seasons at Manchester United it is time Victor Lindelof is sold. The Swede is no longer the right fit of defender the team needs.
United have an opportunity to make a saving on Lindelof’s wages and generate a transfer fee, that can be invested in players who are right for Erik ten Hag’s system.
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Victor Lindelof is just a back-up
There was a lot of excitement when Victor Lindelof signed from Benfica, but he struggled soon after joining the club. Lindelof went on to improve under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and embed himself as a regular in the team, but since the Norwegian’s departure, his role has become increasingly marginalised.
Under Erik ten Hag, Lindelof’s main role has been to fill in when others have been injured. Last season his own fitness problems meant this often was not possible.
After such a long time at the club, Lindelof’s flaws are well known and it is now time for Manchester United to upgrade.
The upside Lindelof brings is some fairly positive passing data with a lot of key passes per 90 and his long passes are of a high standard too. He is able to progress the ball with carries and passing.
But that alone is not good enough. He lacks mobility and often loses in physical battles against stronger or quicker opponents.
Also, his defensive data is pretty poor. His tackles and interceptions per 90 is in the bottom 4% of Europe, he is fairly error prone, often loses challenges and struggles to tackle dribblers.
He has some decent attributes but he is not cut out for being a centre back for Manchester United in 2024.
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Lindelof contract running down
A decision needs to be made quickly as Lindelof’s contract expires in the summer of 2025. The scenario is that Manchester United either sell now, or receive nothing next summer.
There are also a lot of personnel likely to come into the club, starting already with new signing Leny Yoro. Lindelof is one of the losers from the deal, but perhaps United signing a young centre-back will bring him some added clarity that he needs to move on.
Lindelof injury worries
One other issue that has come to the fore as to why the club need to sell is that last season was Lindelof’s worst for injuries.
Previously, the strong case for keeping Lindelof at the club was due to his availability. Before the 2023/24 season he was almost constantly fit, only missing 19 games across six seasons.
But he was part of the long list of injuries the club suffered in the 2023/24 campaign. He missed 22 games and had 110 days out with particularly worrying muscular injuries.
Lindelof has always struggled with the physical aspects of the Premier League and his injury problems are going to make competing at the top level even more difficult, especially with irregular playing time. It is best for all parties to move on.
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