Piling on Manchester United for players who flourish after leaving the club has increasingly become rival fans’ favourite pastime, but the truth is repeatedly said out loud by many who’ve been at Old Trafford.
The latest in the long line of rediscovered players is Rasmus Hojlund, who is tearing it up for club and country less than two months after leaving Man Utd.
It has become an easy stick to beat United with because the narrative is that Old Trafford is where careers go to die.
However, Victor Lindelof, in some recent comments, stressed just how different an animal Man Utd are compared to any other club in the world. David de Gea would relate.
Manchester United legend David de Gea during the warming up for the Conference League match between NK Celje and Fiorentina in 2025.
Photo by Damjan Zibert/Soccrates/Getty Images
What Victor Lindelof did after leaving Man Utd
Lindelof left United on a free transfer this summer after nearly eight years at the club under many different managers.
He was never the flashiest or the most important player, but he developed into a capable soldier for multiple managers, which is why he stayed for nearly a decade.
He joined Aston Villa on a free transfer, so he clearly took a liking to English football as well, but he recently revealed how hectic an environment United is.
Speaking to Swedish outlet Fotbollskanalen, Lindelof said he was so mentally spent after his United spell that he asked his agent not to call him at all for a month after leaving the club.
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He wanted to “do nothing” at that time and just relax and unwind after a spell that took a lot out of him.
Lindelof said: “The first month, I told my agent not to call. I wanted at least a month where I could shut everything down and review what I wanted and didn’t want to do.
“The first month I did absolutely nothing, and then I started to step it up a bit.”
It follows from David de Gea’s comments after leaving the club, as he spent a full year out of football and even contemplated retirement, before finding his love for the game again at Fiorentina.
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Both De Gea and Lindelof’s comments stress again that it is not as simple as players’ careers dying at United, because the pressure at this club is not for everyone to handle.
Just because they succeed after leaving/before joining doesn’t mean that United are at fault for their failures at the club.
If anything, it proves that only the mentally strongest survive at the club, and a level beyond that thrives.
The same realisation has been echoed by Noussair Mazraoui, who joined from Bayern Munich, and Manuel Ugarte, who came from South American football.
Matheus Cunha recently admitted to the same, hammering home how different the United experience is compared to any other club in the world.
A player’s talent is necessary, but United should know by now that their mentality takes precedence when judging their suitability to play for this massive club.