Manchester United 2018-19 Player Reviews: Victor Lindelöf

Lindelöf looked pretty shaky in his first season at Old Trafford. 2018/19, though, was a totally different story. The 24-year-old Swedish international cemented himself as the club’s best defender (sorry, Luke Shaw) and now looks like José Mourinho’s best buy. Composed both in defense and on the ball, he’s a natural fit in the modern game. Never flustered and not afraid to distribute from the back.

And he should get even better. If United right the wrongs of last summer with a high-priced defensive transfer, expect Lindelöf to take another step forward with a settled central partner. Playing alongside Chris Smalling or Phil Jones doesn’t bring out the best in anyone. KC

Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images

Victor Lindelöf should have won POTY over Luke Shaw. His ability to improve and grow into a much smarter defender while the rest of the defense collapses around him is an incredibly promising sign. Of course, the defensive stats for the team as a whole indicate errors did occur from everyone involved, but Lindelöf kept his to a bare minimum, and most of them could be solved by playing a consistent back 4 together. There were a few mistakes here and there, but overall he seems like a player United should build around.

The Swedish defender fills ¹⁄₂ of a very big problem for Manchester United as they continue struggling to find a consistent centre back pairing. They really just need to find 1 starter quality CB, which frees them up to spend on other areas of need. CD