Manchester United centre back Victor Lindelof to be kept out of spotlight by boss Jose Mourinho after enduring difficult pre-season for his new club
* Jose Mourinho left Victor Lindelof out of Manchester United squad on Sunday
* The Sweden international watched from the stands as United beat West Ham
* Portuguese boss is keen to keep the £31m signing out of the limelight for now
Jose Mourinho will keep Victor Lindelof out of the firing line while Manchester United’s new £31million defender adapts to the demands of English football.
Lindelof endured a difficult pre-season and watched from the stands on Sunday as United’s other two summer signings, Romelu Lukaku and Nemanja Matic, starred on their home debuts in the 4-0 win over West Ham.
It’s understood that Mourinho will take a similar approach as he did a year ago with Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who was substituted at half-time on his full debut in the Manchester derby last September and did not start again in the Premier League for nearly three months.
Victor Lindelof was omitted from Manchester United's squad on Sunday by Jose Mourinho. Mourinho has admitted that Lindelof is down the pecking order at OId Trafford for the moment
The United boss will carefully select the games for Lindelof to give him the best chance of settling in after admitting that the Swede will take time to adjust to life at Old Trafford.
Mkhitaryan was quick to back his new team-mate at the weekend, saying: ‘Lindelof is still going to have time to show himself.
‘So I want to say all the players are good signings, and they are going to help us a lot.’
United’s willingness to pay Benfica more than £30m for Lindelof this summer – instead of completing a £25m deal for Michael Keane – surprised some football observers in Portugal.
The 23-year-old is said to have been a little sluggish in training and was exposed on several occasions in United’s pre-season games.
Mourinho admitted that Lindelof would not have played in the UEFA Super Cup against Real Madrid last week had the suspended Eric Bailly and Phil Jones been available.
Bailly and Jones came straight back into the squad for Sunday’s Premier League opener against West Ham, and Chris Smalling was preferred to Lindelof on the bench.
If Smalling stays at Old Trafford beyond the end of the transfer window and Marcos Rojo returns from a serious knee injury on schedule in December, United’ s new signing may have to accept limited playing time in his first season.
One benefit, as Mourinho pointed out last week, is that Lindelof can also play at right back.
Antonio Valencia has been having treatment for a niggling knee injury and United are concerned that the Ecuador international’s combative style will risk making the condition worse.
Meanwhile, Luke Shaw and Ashley Young are on course to return to action in the next couple of months after taking part in a six-a-side game with United’s substitutes after the West Ham game.
Code:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-4791260/Manchester-United-Victor-Lindelof-spotlight.html
mirip2 kasusnya Miki diawal musim lalu, buktinya skrg Miki dah kasih kontribusi. pelatih tau kapan saatnya Lindelof siap bermain