Victor Lindelof is experiencing being a backup for Manchester United this season, a new experience in his career at the club.
Lindelof has been a regular since joining United in 2017, and like Harry Maguire, he has been edged out of the starting XI.
There aren’t many better stand-ins than Sweden’s international captain. He demonstrated this by returning to the starting lineup for the Carabao Cup semi-final, allowing Raphael Varane to rest.
This was Lindelof’s first game since his goal against Bournemouth on January 3. Since then, he’s been an unused substitute, waiting for his chance.
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It wasn’t Lindelof’s best start; he started the game shakily and was saved by the excellent Lisandro Martinez.
The Swede then settled in, roaming forward in possession and dealing defensively with everything thrown his way.
He won two tackles, six of eight duels contested, and 89 total touches, completing 93% of his passes.
Lindelof is popular with his teammates and their respect for him was shown in their replies to his Instagram post, with Lisandro Martinez and Bruno Fernandes praising his performance, writing ‘What a game’.
With Lisandro Martinez suspended for the first leg against Barcelona, the defender will be needed in the coming weeks.
Casemiro makes a successful comeback
Casemiro, who was suspended for the weekend’s match at Arsenal and was sorely missed, also returned to the starting lineup after a shorter break.
With a clean sheet, the Brazilian helped United get back on track, and he even assisted on Marcus Rashford’s solo goal.
He was lauded by teammate Tyrell Malacia, who hailed him a ‘top class player’ after the 3-0 win.
Casemiro created three scoring chances, won two tackles, recovered ten balls, and completed 88% of his passes.
It was great to see him back, and United may be able to rest him in one or two of the upcoming cup games.
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