Like all Reds, the main thing I’m hoping for in 2018 is to see Manchester United continue on an upward trajectory under Jose Mourinho, entertaining us all and competing for trophies.
But if I were to pick out a specific wish, it would be to see Victor Lindelof realise his potential in a United shirt. While there’s no denying he’s ensured a challenging start to his career here, the mild-mannered Swede has still proferred several examples of his enormous talent in the first half of the season.
His composed, Man-of-the-Match display against Brighton & Hove Albion in November felt like a turning point and he really looked the part in our subsequent wins at Watford and Arsenal. And there’s no shortage of support for the former Benfica man – witness the reaction around Old Trafford to that thunderous tackle he made on the Seagulls’ Anthony Knockaert, and how much we’ve all referred to it since. We’re desperate for him to do well.
But it’s going to take time. Let’s not forget that other esteemed defenders made inconspicuous starts to their United careers. Jaap Stam and Nemanja Vidic took six months to find their feet in England, while Patrice Evra famously endured a nightmare debut in the Manchester derby; those three alone went on to rack up over 800 combined appearances and silverware galore.
Mourinho clearly saw something in Lindelof – a three-time league champion with Benfica – when he signed him from the Portuguese outfit in the summer. And the boss has a history of making astute defensive captures – think of Ricardo Carvalho at Chelsea, Lucio at Inter Milan and Raphael Varane at Real Madrid.
In my view, Victor has looked most at home when playing in a back three but he’ll doubtless be working hard behind the scenes to ensure he can slot into whichever defensive system Mourinho deploys, and to ultimately become a first-choice defender for the club.
On the face of it, the 23-year-old has all the attributes to succeed in the English Premier League: poise, positional awareness, distribution with both feet and a steely edge. And if he can complete his adaptation in the coming months, I see no reason why he can’t go on to join that long list of cultured centre-backs to grace the Old Trafford turf.
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