Victor Lindelof has endured slow start to Man United life

If Jose Mourinho needs insider info on Manchester United’s Champions League opponents Benfica ahead of Wednesday night, he knows the ideal man to ask.

Victor Lindelof has had an unusual start to his Old Trafford career but given he only moved from the Portuguese giants in the summer, he is well placed to offer a few nuggets of intel.

The Swedish defender is expected to line up against his old club as United aim to make it three wins from three in Group A and move a step closer to the knockout stage.

Victor Lindelof has played mainly in the Champions League for Manchester United so far

Lindelof (left) and Henrikh Mkhitaryan en route to Lisbon for the Champions League tie

Lindelof (left) and Henrikh Mkhitaryan en route to Lisbon for the Champions League tie

United are aiming to continue their 100 per cent start to their European campaign in Lisbon

United are aiming to continue their 100 per cent start to their European campaign in Lisbon

Lindelof’s United career has been two sides of a coin so far. He has played every minute of their Champions League campaign but has featured for just a solitary minute so far in the Premier League.

That came in the goalless draw at Liverpool on Saturday as Mourinho introduced some additional defensive insurance to see out the final few seconds. It was the most fleeting of Premier League debuts.

More strange is that Lindelof has only made United’s matchday squad just twice in eight league matches this season.

Aside from those two appearances in Europe, he also played in the European Super Cup match with Real Madrid and the EFL Cup tie against Burton Albion.

Mourinho made clear that he wanted to ease Lindelof into English football gently, but the £30.7million summer signing still might have expected more time on the pitch.

And had Eric Bailly not sustained an injury on international duty, Lindelof would most likely still be awaiting his Premier League bow.

The main explanation is that Bailly and Phil Jones have formed a formidable central defensive partnership that partially helps explain United’s good start to the season.

Lindelof spent four years with Benfica between 2013 and 2017 before moving to United

Lindelof spent four years with Benfica between 2013 and 2017 before moving to United

The defender is at the heart of things as United train at the Estadio da Luz on Tuesday night

The defender is at the heart of things as United train at the Estadio da Luz on Tuesday night

They started the first six league games of the season together and allowed the concession of just two goals, offering Mourinho no reason to drop them.

It left Chris Smalling warming the bench and Lindelof watching on from the stands, the two of them benefiting from Mourinho’s rotation for the European games.

In those, Lindelof did nothing wrong – United kept a clean sheet against Basle and were not really troubled in the dominant 4-1 win over CSKA Moscow.

But Mourinho clearly has in his mind that Jones and Bailly will be the first-choice in the league, with Lindelof and Smalling playing in Europe.

The Swede is perhaps more suited to playing in Europe, given his comfort on the ball and in playing it out from the back.

Against Basle, he even played some longer balls that troubled the opposition defence and gave United an option going forward.

Lindelof replaced Ashley Young to make his league debut in the final minute at Anfield

Lindelof replaced Ashley Young to make his league debut in the final minute at Anfield

Mourinho said he would ease Lindelof in to life in English football and has stayed true to that

Mourinho said he would ease Lindelof in to life in English football and has stayed true to that

Man United fixtures 

Premier League unless stated

October 18 Benfica (A)

Champions League group stage

October 21 Huddersfield Town (A)

October 24 Swansea City (A)

EFL Cup fourth round

October 28 Tottenham (H)

October 31 Benfica (H)

Champions League group stage

November 5 Chelsea (A) 

Mourinho may have come to conclusions over how to best use Lindelof after some of his pre-season performances, which were average to say the least.

In the pre-season tour game with Real Madrid, he cleaned out Theo Hernandez, conceding a penalty that allowed the Spanish side to equalise. Many United fans were quick to write him off as a waste of money.

The manager certainly concluded that Lindelof needed to be eased in rather than thrown straight into the physical cut and thrust of English football.

But that challenge was all the more surprising given Lindelof had an exemplary disciplinary record at Benfica, just five yellow cards in 73 matches.

Despite the slow start, it would be wrong to completely write off Lindelof’s Old Trafford career before it has really begun.

Given the strength-in-depth United have at the back, Lindelof will have to be patient. The competition will only intensify when Marcos Rojo returns from injury, which could be this month.

United's players hold hands for a ball control exercise during training on Tuesday night

United’s players hold hands for a ball control exercise during training on Tuesday night

Mourinho summed up Lindelof’s situation last month: ‘Victor will be given time and no pressure for his evolution.

‘He has a very specific position on the pitch and I was saying he needs time and he will be given time but also opportunities.

‘He will prove step by step that he is ready to play.’

The latest step will come at a place he knows inside out.

 

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