“Brilliant” – Man United player receives surprising praise for Everton performance

Manchester United defender Victor Lindelof was highly praised by two former United academy graduates for his performance against Everton over the weekend.

Making his 18th Premier League appearance of the season, Lindelof was once again entrusted by United manager Erik ten Hag to play left back.

Forced into the choice due to United’s ongoing injury crisis that has seen both Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia continue to spend time on the sidelines, Lindelof has frequently been required to play on the left side of United’s back four.

Despite playing in a position that before this season was unfamiliar to him, Lindelof’s performance against Everton drew significant praise from former United academy graduates Fraizer Campbell and Phil Bardsley

Campbell said (as quoted by United In Focus), would tell MUTV after the Everton match that Lindelof, “was brilliant.”

“He’s not let his man have time or space,” Campbell would follow up with. “[Jack] Harrison, who started on the right for them, he’s a good player, he could have caused us a lot of problems, [but] he [Lindelof] snuffed that out. He did really well.

“That’s exactly what the manager wants. He wants people he can trust when he picks them, whatever position they play in, to do a job for him. He’s demonstrating that by playing left-back.”

Bardsley, a full-back during his playing career, would add to the praise of Lindelof: “I thought Lindelof was fantastic playing out of position,” Noted the former United defender. “It’s never easy, especially for a right-footed player at left-back, and a centre-half. He was fantastic, alongside Jonny [Evans].”

With Shaw and Malacia expected to miss the rest of United’s 23/24 season, Lindelof will likely continue to make regular appearances at left back.