Lindelof signing is a statement of intent from United
Assuming everything goes well with his medical, Benfica defender Victor Lindelöf will become Manchester United’s first signing of the summer. In doing so, José Mourinho will have laid down a positive marker of intent with this purchase.
With much of the transfer talk surrounding United centred around attacking talents such as Antoine Griezmann, Álvaro Morata, Andrea Belotti and James Rodríguez, the addition of Lindelöf, a young centre-half with plenty of European experience and further room to grow in the future, is exactly the signing the Reds needed to make to put the rest of the Premier League on alert.
At €35 million, plus another €10 million in future clauses, the deal for the 22-year-old Swedish international represents a bargain for United and Lindelöf may well go on to be one of the cornerstones of the Reds defence for the next decade, expected to partner Eric Bailly in the centre of defence.
“Attack wins you games, defence wins you titles,” goes the old Sir Alex Ferguson adage. A rock-solid defence has always been at the heart of United’s Premier League title victories, as evidenced first with Steve Bruce and Gary Pallister, then Jaap Stam and Ronny Johnsen, followed by Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand. In the same vein, Mourinho will be looking to emulate those solid foundations in defence.
Last summer saw Bailly arrive in Manchester as Mourinho’s first signing for a similar fee to Lindelöf’s, and the Ivorian immediately impressed, cementing himself as a first-team fixture as the Reds won the Community Shield, EFL Cup and Europa League in Mourinho’s first season in charge.
Now it’s Lindelöf’s turn. Bolstered by a coming-of-age spell in Lisbon, where he became an integral part of two Liga NOS-winning sides after patiently waiting for his chance, as well as praise from recently-departed United talisman and fellow Swede Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the platform is there for Lindelöf to make a quick mark in Manchester.
In theory, a Lindelöf-Bailly partnership should flourish. The Swede’s impressive composure – which has seen him nicknamed ‘the Iceman’ in the Portuguese media after being thrust into the Benfica side in the absence of Luisão and Lisandro López at the tail end of the 2015-16 season – and consummate ability to play the ball out from the back means that he should be the perfect foil for Bailly’s aggressiveness – which was on full display last season.
If there is one element of the Swede’s game that stands out immediately, it is the comfort that he displays with the ball at his feet. Lindelöf is not afraid to take the ball out of defence and burst forward into midfield, meaning that defence can be turned into attack in the blink of an eye. He established himself as one of the top centre-backs in Portugal, coming in the top three when it came to overall pass completion (91%) and pass completion in the final third.
Despite being a ball-player, Lindelöf is also strong and physically imposing, with his quickness allowing him to cover ground quickly. At 6-foot-2, his height and strength makes him a very effective aerial presence and he rarely loses an aerial duel with an attacker and with the physical nature of the Premier League, he will fit right in when he arrives in England.
His reading of the game is excellent and that shows in the timing of his tackles, rarely giving away sloppy fouls and picking up bookings. This is evidenced by the fact that he only received one booking last season, and five in the preceding season. In many ways, he will remind United fans of Rio Ferdinand, whose elegant style was a key part of United’s success in the noughties.
Lindelöf’s versatility could also be an asset for Mourinho, as he can play at right-back if needed. That was on full display for Sweden’s under-21s at the European Championships two summers ago, as his impressive performances saw him named in UEFA’s team of the tournament and Lindelöf himself stepped up to fire home the winning penalty against Portugal in the final. He achieved all this despite not being considered for the tournament initially, only coming in as a replacement for the injured Emil Krafth.
There are some rough edges to work out – Lindelöf is sometimes a bit too keen to get rid of the ball, especially out of play, when there are sometimes better options. And while his desire to play the ball out of defence is positive, there can be times where the right pass is lacking. His inexperience may also be a negative – having only played one full season at the top level of Portuguese football, he is prone to the odd mistake.
Despite this, there is no mistake that Lindelöf is a fine signing and he is what United need at the back. Despite the Reds’ stellar defensive record, the shortcomings at the back were very noticeable at times, with Bailly having to bail his defensive partners out time and time again when in fact, he should have been looking at them to provide stability alongside him.
Chris Smalling regressed spectacularly after his fine form under Louis van Gaal, while Marcos Rojo suffered a campaign-ending cruciate ligament injury in April, just as he was starting to cement a first-team spot. Throw in Phil Jones’ infuriating propensity to pick up injuries frequently, Axel Tuanzebe’s relative inexperience and Daley Blind often showing that he is a defensive midfielder playing at centre-back, this is an important signing for United.
Lindelöf and Bailly definitely have what it takes to replicate the grand centre-back pairings that have been the hallmark of previous title-winning Reds sides, and with both men 23 by the time the Premier League season starts, Mourinho is showing that he is laying the foundations for a side that could succeed over the next couple of years.
If United can follow the Lindelöf signing with several other solid acquisitions elsewhere in the side, this could be the summer where Mourinho builds a side capable of winning the club’s first title since the Ferguson years. And this is a signing that the great man would approve of.