Man United’s ‘Iceman’ Lindelof: In my head I am nonetheless a No. 10
Rob DawsonCorrespondent
SHANGHAI — In a special life, Victor Lindelof wouldn’t be The Iceman, Manchester United’s cool, calm centre-back. As a substitute, he would put on the No. 10, not No. 2, and would attempt to make objectives fairly than cease them.
Rising up in Vasteras, a small metropolis in central Sweden, Lindelof was a sublime attacking midfielder. Now he’s a sublime centre-back — a No. 10 trapped in a defender’s physique — who has turn out to be central to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Previous Trafford revolution.
The Norwegian desires the brand new United to play with extra depth. Urgent after they do not have the ball and tempo after they do.
However he additionally desires his workforce to play out from the again and that is the place Lindelof is available in. Expertise realized taking part in additional ahead as an adolescent are actually being showcased from the centre of United’s defence. He can defend — he expertly marshalled Cristiano Ronaldo when Juventus visited Previous Trafford in October — however he may also go. And he does it very nicely.
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“I used to be a midfielder once I was younger,” Lindelof tells ESPN FC in an unique interview.
“I have not been a defender for lengthy. I feel perhaps that is why I’m comfy on the ball as a result of I began as a No. 10, then a two-way midfielder, then a No. 6 and now I am a defender.
“Possibly that is why I wish to have the ball and why I am comfy with it.
“I wish to have the ball at my toes. I am comfy with it. That is not an issue for me and I wish to play soccer that method.”
He’s good defender and was one in every of United’s finest gamers throughout a disappointing season final 12 months. However was he a superb No. 10?
“Sure,” he says with a smile.
“However once I was youthful. I scored quite a lot of objectives. I do not rating quite a lot of objectives now. It was enjoyable to play as a No. 10. I might do no matter I wished. However I used to be younger, perhaps 13. It was enjoyable. In my head typically I am nonetheless a No. 10. I wish to go. I haven’t got that intuition any extra of taking pictures. Now I would fairly arrange my teammates for a aim.”
. Yong Teck Lim/Worldwide Champions Cup/Getty Pictures
Lindelof has travelled to Australia and the Far East as one in every of Solskjaer’s key males.
There may be an expectation that United will ultimately signal Harry Maguire if Leicester compromise over their £90 million asking worth however even that has not raised doubts about Lindelof’s place.
He’s already one in every of six centre-backs on the tour together with Eric Bailly, Phil Jones, Chris Smalling, Marcos Rojo and Axel Tuanzebe. Maguire would make seven however, as issues stand, they’re all competing for the place alongside Lindelof.
“I just like the competitors,” he stated “I find it irresistible, truly. I feel it is nice for a membership to have that competitors. When you have good gamers in your place you must work exhausting day by day, particularly in coaching, and that helps a workforce to go to the subsequent stage as nicely.
“For me it is good. I prefer it. I feel everybody at this membership desires to be on the highest stage. I am superb buddies with all of them. In coaching we compete after which off the pitch we’re buddies. That is the way it needs to be.”
It has not at all times been like that. Signed from Benfica for £31 million in 2017, Jose Mourinho handed the Swede his debut in a humbling Tremendous Cup defeat to Actual Madrid. However he needed to wait greater than two months to make his Premier League debut — usually watching video games from the stands — after which got here a private low in a nightmare efficiency in a defeat to Huddersfield that raised questions on his suitably for English soccer.
That debate has lengthy ended however throughout that troublesome first season, did he ever have doubts about whether or not he had made the precise transfer?
“By no means,” he says with the identical steely look he will get when he ploughs by a centre-forward earlier than strolling away with the ball.
“I am very assured in myself. It is simply the best way I’m, the best way I used to be raised. I do know the kind of participant I’m, I do know the kind of individual I’m. I’ve at all times been like that and it was by no means an issue for me.”
The way in which Lindelof performed final season, and the fashion by which he did it, sparked hypothesis a couple of summer season transfer to Barcelona however — not like teammates Paul Pogba and Romelu Lukaku — he has been fast to place the switch speak to mattress.
“I am not the type of one that thinks about that,” he stated.
“I am right here, I am very glad right here. That is my focus. Manchester United is my membership. I characterize this membership with nice honour.”
Subsequent up for United — climate allowing — is a Premier League taster towards Tottenham in Shanghai on Thursday. It should see Lindelof come up towards Harry Kane, contemporary from scoring from the midway line towards Juventus, and hand the 25-year-old one other probability to point out how a lot progress he has made since arriving in Manchester and the way essential he has turn out to be to Solskjaer.
“It is preseason, we need to get fitter and we need to enhance,” he stated
“We take it sport by sport. After all, it is good to win. It is a sport of soccer and also you at all times need to win. [Kane is] a superb participant. It is at all times enjoyable to play towards good gamers. I’ve performed towards quite a lot of good gamers. He is very intelligent and he is obtained good actions.
“I have been at this stage for a few years now. It has been an amazing trip and hopefully I can maintain enhancing. I am simply attempting to turn out to be a greater participant. That is what I work exhausting for day by day and for me to be at this membership it is an amazing honour however I nonetheless assume I can enhance loads.”