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The 30-year-old is thought to be surplus to requirements under Ruben Amorim
Manchester United’s second-longest serving player Victor Lindelof is expected to leave Old Trafford on a free transfer in the summer after falling down the pecking order under Ruben Amorim.
The Swedish centre back, who arrived from Benfica for a blockbuster £31m figure in 2017, has racked up 268 appearances for the club, but is likely to leave at the end of his contract in just four months' time.
Manchester Evening News reports that Amorim sees the 30-year-old as a peripheral player and not someone that is a part of his long-term vision for the club as he aims to build a younger United team that can once again challenge at the top end of the Premier League table.
Man Utd plan to release Victor Lindelof
Lindelof was signed by Jose Mourinho in 2017 and at the time was described as someone he signed due to his ‘inside information’ of the Portuguese league, despite not previously working with him. Mourinho said:” Lindelof was the only one (signing) that I didn’t work with (before). But in Portugal, I control. I control inside information. "I know the qualities of the people, I know many things about social life, about private life, I know because even without working for that, the information are arriving."
He experienced a slow start to life at Old Trafford and was very much a squad player for Mourinho as the team finished in second place. However, under the guidance of Ole Gunner Solskjaer he became a stalwart in the starting line-up and was notably a member of the team which reached the 2021 Europa League final before a penalty shoot-out defeat to Villarreal.
He remained on the books under Ralf Ragnick’s brief unsuccessful stint and was a bit-part player under Erik ten Hag after his arrival from Ajax, although it was widely reported by the Evening News that the Red Devils had been making efforts to cash in on the experienced defender before his pre-season injury.
Lindelof has played just nine times for United this season, with just two of those coming under Amorim. He is currently recovering from an injury he picked up at Spurs in December and is unlikely to feature regularly - if at all - in the remaining weeks of the campaign once he returns.
What next for Victor Lindelof?
Lindelof was linked with a move to Everton in January and his availability in the summer could prompt another ex-United coach in David Moyes to take a punt on the experienced defender. Lindelof claimed in a previous interview that he still had a desire to play in Europe, rather than move to the Middle East like former team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo.
“I haven’t actually thought about it,” said Lindelof last year when he was asked about potential move to Saudi Arabia. “Maybe I don’t really feel like I’m there in my career, that I want to get down to moving away. I feel that I want to stay in Europe and play football at that level."
Meanwhile, ex-United manager Erik ten Hag could return to the dugout after reports in the Netherlands claimed he was being lined up as a target by one of his former Ajax rivals.