Harry Maguire has given his verdict on Victor Lindelof as a former teammate at Manchester United ahead of a Premier League clash against Aston Villa.
Victor Lindelof left Manchester United in 2025 after his contract expired, only to remain in the Premier League by signing for Aston Villa as a free agent.
It was the end of a seven-year tenure at Old Trafford for the Swede, after signing for the club from Benfica in 2017.
Lindelof lacked the physical dominance of his peers, but that did not stop him from making 284 appearances for United. With 20 appearances under his belt at fourth-placed Aston Villa, the experienced defender is still playing at the highest level.
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Harry Maguire during the Premier League match between Newcastle United and Manchester United at St James' Park in 2026 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England.
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Harry Maguire believes Victor Lindelof didn’t get enough credit at Man Utd
Lindelof started when United lost 2-1 against Villa in December, but he will travel to Old Trafford for the first time since leaving the Red Devils on Sunday.
The Swede was an unused substitute last week when Chelsea beat Unai Emery’s side 4-1 at Villa Park, so it remains to be seen if he will feature with Tyrone Mings and Ezri Konsa fit.
Either way, Lindelof will receive a warm reception from the Old Trafford faithful. He was part of squads that won the FA Cup and Carabao Cup, as well as making it to two Europa League finals, which unfortunately ended in defeat.
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Speaking to ManUtd.com before facing Villa, Maguire hailed Lindelof as a former teammate and stressed that he was undervalued at the club.
“I think Victor was an excellent player,” Maguire said.
“I believe he didn’t get the credit he deserved when he was playing at this club, although he obviously played so many games and he always played under managers.
“But he was an excellent player and we had an amazing relationship on the pitch.”
Maguire went on to reflect positively on his performances alongside Lindelof, adding: “The first two years I think, if I’m right, we kept the most clean sheets in Europe in the first year, and maybe second or third in the second season.
“We kept loads of clean sheets, we defended properly, we defended well.
“So I’ve probably played the most games with Victor, and I believe our relationship on the pitch was as strong as I’ve had with anybody.”
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Harry Maguire celebrating at Anfield
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How is Jadon Sancho performing at Aston Villa?
Jadon Sancho is ineligible to play on Sunday due to being a United loanee, but he has been on loan at Villa since the beginning of the season.
It is his third loan spell away from United after previous temporary spells at Borussia Dortmund and Chelsea.
Since making the move to the West Midlands, Sancho has made 28 appearances and scored one goal.
Sancho will become a free agent in the summer unless Villa decide they want him to stay beyond this season, though his underwhelming stats make that seem unlikely.
In a United shirt, Sancho will leave with a poor record of 12 goals and six assists from 83 matches.
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