5 days Ago By [email protected] (Sean McCormick)
When the Manchester United team news was announced on Sunday, there were more than a few eye-catching selections. Manchester Evening News brought you the news on Sunday morning that Andre Onana had been omitted from the squad that travelled to Newcastle so Altay Bayindir's selection wasn't too much of a surprise by the time the teamsheets dropped. Teenage left-back Harry Amass' first Premier League start also made some headlines but the inclusion of Victor Lindelof was a particularly curious one.
It was always expected that Ruben Amorim would make changes for the trip to St James' Park. After all, United's season lives or dies by success in the Europa League so Thursday's quarter-final second leg against Lyon is the biggest game of their campaign so far. But the general consensus has been that Lindelof will leave the club on a free transfer at the end of the season.
He is at best United's fifth choice centre-half and with youngsters Ayden Heaven and Godwill Kukonki highly rated, his future is expected to be away from Old Trafford. That being said, Lindelof told reporters in Sweden last month that he is 'comfortable' at United and wouldn't be averse to extending his stay at the club. With that in mind, Sunday's inclusion in the starting XI, his third start in the Premier League this season, was a big chance for the 30-year-old to prove his worth against a team in Newcastle who have won a trophy this season and are on course to qualify for next season's Champions League.
However, much like the majority of the eleven players Amorim fielded on Tyneside, he was found badly wanting in United's 4-1 defeat. Much has been made about Amorim's style of play and how he wants his team to build up from the back in his 3-4-2-1 formation. A lot of that build-up starts with the middle centre-half in his back three and those demands were put on Lindelof on Sunday.
Lindelof was caught on the ball in the build up to Newcastle's first goal and in one passage of play he proved he doesn't have what it takes to succeed under Amorim. That notion was echoed by former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher, who when analysing the game on Sky Sports' Monday Night Football, highlighted why he feels Lindelof doesn't have the capability to play in Amorim's image. "Initially, I want to talk about Lindelof," Carragher said.
"He starts in here (just inside United's penalty area) and comes into this position here (just outside of the penalty area waiting to receive a pass from Noussair Mazraoui who is just inside United's penalty area). "This is what Ruben Amorim wants from his middle centre-back. I don't get it.
He doesn't want to receive the ball there and I don't think any centre-back Manchester United have at the club wants to go in there and receive the ball with his back to play. "I would even go as far to say that probably one of the best footballing centre-backs Manchester United have ever had in Rio Ferdinand, I don't think he would be comfortable going in there. "I don't get what you gain from it.
He goes in there and he has his back to play but as soon as he gets it you have got Joelinton going, you have got [Sandro] Tonali going and you have got [Bruno] Guimaraes here. "He is not a player to receive the ball in there. A midfield player receives that on their left foot and moves it out of the other side.
"He is not even a cultured centre-back, Lindelof, let's be totally honest about it. He uses his right foot and they end up losing the ball." Lindelof looked uncomfortable throughout the 90 minutes against Newcastle and Carragher was also critical about his response to losing the ball and how he then tried to defend against his Swedish international team-mate Alexander Isak.
"It comes from Newcastle's three midfield players and they win it back because [Kieran] Trippier is high. Going back to Lindelof, he now finds himself with Isak," Carragher continued. "Don't forget they are team-mates for Sweden and he knows him really well.
He looks at him, he looks at him again but what is going on there I'll never know (Lindelof ends up five yards adrift of Isak when he receives the pass from Trippier). "It's actually a poor touch but because of the poor position of Lindelof he can't actually go and make the poor touch a challenge." Put simply, if this was an audition to convince Amorim he deserves a contract extension and to be part of his plans beyond this season, Lindelof failed it.
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