Lindelof's contract expires in June. (Image: 2025 Sports Press Photo)
Manchester United's great survivor could start in the Europa League final in Bilbao.
Victor Lindelof started against Villarreal in the 2021 Europa League final in Gdansk and he could be given an unlikely shot at redemption in the competition against Tottenham on Wednesday.
Lindelof started against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge and is likely to retain his starting role for United's biggest game of the season due to Matthijs de Ligt and Leny Yoro having injuries.
United will leave it late to decide on the fitness of De Ligt and Yoro. But even if either of the pair are given the green light to make the squad in Bilbao, they might not be fit enough to start and Lindelof is waiting in the wings.
De Ligt picked up an ankle injury at the City Ground. He left the stadium without a protective boot and told the Manchester Evening News he was "ok", but he was ruled out of action for a month.
Yoro recently left Old Trafford without a protective boot after facing West Ham, which was seen as a positive sign, although De Ligt's situation just a few weeks earlier shows that might not necessarily mean good news.
The bright side is that Yoro was spotted going into the gym at Carrington to do his own individual work earlier in the week, and Amorim initially said that he thought his issue was "small."
Yoro has improved each month during his debut season in Manchester and would be a nailed-on starter against Tottenham if he's fit enough to play. That remains to be seen, though.
Lindelof is set to leave United upon the expiry of his contract at the end of the season. His deal expires officially on June 30 and starting him in the Europa League would not be ideal.
Lindelof started against Chelsea on Friday.
How many clubs have started players who are about to leave on a free transfer in European finals? Lindelof's contract has been allowed to run down and United have not offered him a new deal for a reason.
Lindelof was supposed to leave Old Trafford last summer, but he sustained an injury in pre-season, which blocked his exit, and he returned to full training at Carrington in late September.
The 30-year-old would have expected to be a peripheral squad member throughout this campaign, however, he has been needed to contribute in a handful of big games due to injuries.
Lindelof has bags of experience and should be capable of filling in on the big stage, despite his contract situation. He arrived at United in the summer of 2017 and Luke Shaw is the only player in the dressing room who has been at the club for longer.
This season was supposed to be low-key for Lindelof, but he has suddenly become important again and it's pretty staggering that he could start in another Europa League final for United.
Lindelof might also be joined by Shaw in the back-three alongside Harry Maguire. Those three players started at Stamford Bridge and all played important roles during Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's tenure.
Solskjaer oversaw the 2021 Europa League final against Villarreal. Maguire's absence in that final due to injury was a huge blow, but Lindelof and Shaw started in the defeat to the Spaniards on penalties.
Ayden Heaven returned to the squad against Chelsea and came on from the bench with 10 minutes remaining. Tyler Fredricson is another option, but they could obviously not be thrown in.
Amorim's best defensive options for the final could be three players who Solskjaer loved.