Bharath Rammr
After deciding to hold the transfer of Swedish defender Victor Lindelof in the January transfer window, it seems that Manchester United have made the decision to sign the player from Benfica in the summer. Manchester United were believed to have been very close to signing Lindelof from Benfica for around £42 million. Yet, Manchester United chose to pull off the deal after having witnessed players like Phil Jones and Marcos Rojo perform exceptionally well in the Manchester United team.
Mourinho did not see any sense in spending close to £ 50 million on a defender when the club was already stocked with plenty of good names. As the weeks have rolled on, Mourinho is reportedly regretting the decision not to complete the signing of Lindelof. Even though he may be a centre-back, the 22-year-old is also capable of playing in the right back position. Right back position is of concern for United with only Antonio Valencia being the experienced professional in this position, although Phil Jones can also fill in.
After progressing through the latter stages of the FA Cup, EFL Cup, and the Europa League, Manchester United find themselves with a fixture congestion. This meant that Jose Mourinho was unable to sell Ashley Young or Wayne Rooney in the January window. Now, the issue has become magnified so much that Mourinho wishes that he had Lindelof in the squad so as to rotate in the right back places too. Valencia does have the stamina to be able to play more than 50 games per season, but an injury for the Ecuadorian could be catastrophic for the club.
United are on the verge of booking a place in the last 16 of the Europa League after a 3-0 win over St Etienne. The club are up against Blackburn Rovers in the FA Cup this weekend. This will be followed by a game against St Etienne in the second leg of the Europa league last 32 round. Dealing with these matches gives Manchester United the opportunity to win their second title of the season when they take on Southampton in the EFL Cup final on February 26. Incredibly, Manchester United and not play their next league match until the start of March. Such is the fixture condition affecting the Red Devils.
This appears to have taught a lesson to Mourinho, who has reportedly moved to sign Lindelof with a pre-contract agreement. The transfer will take place in the summer for around the same figure as agreed in January. The Red devils managed to seal this deal despite a hijack attempt from Roma.
