Manchester United’s Victor Lindelof says that he will remain confident in the seemingly inevitable battle for places at center back next season amidst the club’s ongoing negotiations for Ajax’s Lisandro Martinez.
The Swede played 34 times in all competitions for United last season and was one of the most reliable and dependable figures at the heart of the Reds defense.
United currently have six senior central defenders on the books and are looking to add another in the transfer market, but the 27-year-old is not too worried.
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“I’m not a nervous person,” Lindelof said in an interview in Bangkok to kick off United’s pre-season tour. “I know what I can do on the pitch, I’ve been working very hard and that’s all I can focus on really.”
Despite United’s woes, Lindelof did not have the worst of seasons from an individual perspective. He was arguably one of the more outstanding performers at the club while becoming the captain of his country. That breeds confidence.
“I’m always confident,” Lindelof added. “At every club like this, there should be competition for places — that’s a very good thing. You need it to perform and to compete for trophies. This is my sixth year, I’ve made almost 200 appearances now, I want to do many more and I want to help the team on the pitch.”
The lack of quality in depth has been one of United’s many downfalls in recent years. Players getting too comfortable, knowing they have a guaranteed place in the side week in week out can be detrimental to the quality of performance.
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It wouldn’t be far-fetched to claim that this too has been a major contributing factor to some of United’s lackluster displays last season and beyond. As a result, the past few weeks have seen the club in advanced talks for Martinez — a center back by trade who can also play in midfield.
United’s recent bid of €50 million — which matched Ajax’s reported valuation — is as of right now not enough to get the Dutch side to accept. However, the player is keen to reunite with Erik ten Hag and could push for a move in the coming days.
One Red who has received a lot of heat for his displays in 2021/22 — despite the whole team being below par — is current club captain Harry Maguire. Though Lindelof was rather quick to jump to the defense of his partner.
“Harry is a great player and a great captain as well,” the Swede said. “He is a very nice guy off the pitch. He tries to talk a lot and communicate with the players. I think he is a great player.”
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Lindelof and Maguire have shared the battlefield many times together and United No. 2’s support will undoubtedly mean a lot to the skipper — especially with United’s captaincy being a frequent talking point amongst fans and media this summer as Ten Hag plots his rebuild.
Lindelof insists that the outside noise does not bother Maguire.
He said: “It’s normal if you are the captain of the biggest club in the world that people outside will speak. But I don’t think it’s a problem for him and I think everyone trusts him as well.”
The interview then shifted to pre-season and Ten Hag, with Lindelof evidently enthused to work with the new boss. The Swede revealed that there hasn’t been much talk of last season’s failures in an attempt to put the misfortunes in the rear view.
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Instead, everyone is energized and excited to impress and make an impact under the new leadership. Lindelof was particularly taken aback by Ten Hag’s attention to detail and the intensity of training over the first couple of weeks.
“It has been absolutely fantastic under the new boss since he came,” Lindelof said. “The level of the training has really stepped up. I think he is very good at paying attention to the details — his demands and what he expects from us. If something is not right in an exercise, he can stop and explain it again for us and that’s a very good thing for us.”
The Swede concluded by saying that: “The first week was a little bit different from this week. This week has been a bit more intense with different types of runs and games. I don’t mind it. It should be like that. He’s demanding a lot but it should be like that at a club like this.
Featured Image Credit: AlamyTopics: Manchester United, Victor Lindelof, Sweden, Harry Maguire, Lisandro Martinez, Football