“I don’t know what he wants” - Zlatan Ibrahimovic responds to rumors linking Manchester United star with AC Milan transfer
AC Milan senior advisor Zlatan Ibrahimovic addressed the rumors of a potential transfer of Victor Lindelof from Manchester United to the Rossoneri. He claimed such rumors were making the rounds as he and Lindelof were both Swedish.
Answering a question about the defender to TV4 (reported via United in Focus), Ibrahimovic said:
“You never know. There are a lot of rumours being spread. That rumour is more because I’m Swedish, and Lindelof is Swedish. He is a fantastic player. I think he is doing well at United [but] we have many good players in that position. I don’t know what he wants. You can probably ask him!”
Lindelof joined Manchester United from Benfica in 2017. He has since gone on to make 266 appearances for the Red Devils. The Swedish defender has not had an extended run as a first-team centre-back in recent years, and has mainly stepped up when other centre-backs were out injured.
He has gone further down the pecking order this season following the arrival of Matthijs de Ligt. Lindelof has made only seven appearances so far this season, recording only 58 minutes of playing time in the Premier League. With his contract set to expire in the summer of 2025, Lindelof will be free to speak to clubs outside of England to arrange a pre-agreement come January next year.
AC Milan have also been linked with a move for the player in January itself, as per multiple reports.
Manchester United set to begin new era under Ruben Amorim
Going into the international break, Manchester United completed the takeover of Ruben Amorim as their new head coach of the club. It saw the exit of Ruud Van Nistelrooy from the coaching staff, with the Dutchman guiding the club to three wins in four games as interim boss.
With Amorim coming in, some reports have indicated that the Portuguese tactician might want to stick to his three-man back formula, which has earned him success in Portugal. If such is the case, then United will have to pick a regular choice of three central defenders from the following list of senior players at the club (alongside youth team players): Matthijs de Ligt, Leny Yoro, Lisandro Martinez, Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof and Jonny Evans.
Injured left-back Luke Shaw can also play as a part of the three-man back should Amorim opt for the system. However, the Portuguese coach will have a selection headache as a majority of these players are not in their best form. This could allow Victor Lindelof to grab a first-team spot in the new regime.
With Jonny Evans (36) also set to leave next year, Amorim's senior center-back choices will come down to De Ligt, Yoro, Martinez, Maguire, Lindelof and Shaw. Given that most teams play over 50 games a season on an average in modern-day campaigns, Lindelof could yet have a few more years of football left at Old Trafford.