We have long discussed Manchester United’s problems at the back. Gary Neville’s assessment that both Victor Lindelof and Harry Maguire have the same problems with one another seems very fair.
I don’t think they’re terrible footballers but they don’t complement one another, and both of their performances are worsening as a result.
This summer Ole Gunnar Solskjaer must sign a centre-back and decide next season who is going to lead from the back. Will it be Maguire, who cost the club significantly more, or will it be Lindelof?
Neville thinks Lindelof would thrive alongside Liverpool centre-back Virgil van Dijk.
Neville told Sky Sports: “Victor Lindelof’s problem is Harry Maguire and Harry Maguire’s problem is Victor Lindelof.
“I think if you put Lindelof alongside Van Dijk at Liverpool… he’s a fantastic player, I think he’s a really good player. He understands the game, he reads the game, if he was alongside a Rio Ferdinand or a Virgil van Dijk, I think they would make a great pair.
“The problem is he’s alongside someone who isn’t the most mobile in Harry Maguire. That’s the problem he’s got because they’re going to find someone who can play alongside Maguire because they invested £80m in him.
“I actually think Lindelof is a really good player and if Liverpool were looking for a centre-back pairing, I think he would do a really good job at Liverpool alongside Virgil van Dijk.
“The problem is I don’t think he does a great job alongside Maguire because they both drop back and they’ve got to get up the pitch more.”
Van Dijk was the runner-up for the 2019 Ballon d’Or so of course it’s expected that a defender of his standard would get more out of the defenders around him. I think that is what United thought Maguire would do which is an unfair expectation because the Englishman has never been that player.
The Dutchman wouldn’t be of any use to Lindelof this season even if they were team-mates. He’s out with a serious knee injury after missing most of the season.
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