Erik ten Hag discusses unlikely candidate to fill the midfield gap

Erik ten Hag has proposed Victor Lindelof as a surprise candidate to help fill the current gap in the Manchester United midfield.

Manchester United‘s midfield options this season have been somewhat short – Bruno Fernandes and Christian Eriksen have played more minutes than any other outfield player under Erik ten Hag this season.

Despite Eriksen, Fernandes, and Casemiro developing a brilliant connection on the pitch, Eriksen’s injury combined with a lack of sufficient depth has caused fans to speculate as to who else could fill that gap, with many postulating that Lisandro Martinez should be given a go.

However, that is not who Erik ten Hag seems to have in mind.

Speaking after Manchester United’s 2-0 victory over Nottingham Forest in the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg, Ten Hag has explained that due to his old performances at Benfica, Lindelof could be the man to move up to midfield if needed.

Lindelof was educated as a six, as a controlling, holding midfielder in Benfica,” said Ten Hag. “So I know he can do that and we already tried it before in training and maybe in one game.”

This is not the only reason why Ten Hag would want Lindelof in midfield, though. He has also explained that sometimes he likes to have his central defenders playing in midfield position because of the tactical edge and opposition unpredictability it gives United.

“But also I sometimes want my centre-halves playing in midfield positions so that we create dynamics,” he explained. “So it’s just to construct more dynamics in the team.”

Manchester United have recently secured the loan signing of Marcel Sabitzer from Bayern Munich after it was confirmed that Christian Eriksen would be out injured for around three months.

Speaking on the signing, Ten Hag said: “I’ve known the player for a long time, at Salzburg, and especially Leipzig, he’s been fantastic.

“I expect the same here. He’s got a great attitude, he’s the right age, I’m sure this opportunity will motivate him and he will perform.”