Victor Lindelof opens up on 'tough competition' at Manchester United
Wednesday 30 August 2017 10:49, UK
Victor Lindelof admits it has been tough watching from the sidelines during his first few weeks at Manchester United.
The new £39.5m signing from Benfica is yet to make his Premier League debut and has been left out of United's match-day squad for two of their opening three matches.
The Sweden international centre-back has found himself behind Eric Bailly, Phil Jones and Chris Smalling in the pecking order at Old Trafford but, nevertheless, he feels he is beginning to settle into his new club.
Lindelof told fotbollskanalen: "It's clear that you always want to play. It's tough competition with very good players. So we'll see how it gets, but of course you always want to play.
"I have just got to the club. The last training week has gone very well and I feel I'm getting into it more and more."
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Jose Mourinho has warned Lindelof will need time to adapt to the demands of the Premier League and believes it is unfair to draw comparisons between the 23-year-old and United's other summer signings, Romelu Lukaku and Nemanja Matic, who have both had the benefit of playing in England for a number of years.
With Jones and Bailly suspended for United's opening Champions League game against Basel on September 12, Mourinho has already confirmed he plans to start Lindelof alongside Smalling in that game.
Lindelof, for his part, is using his time out of the starting line-up to try and adapt to the demands of playing for one of the biggest clubs in the world.
"It has been good - getting to know the club, everything around, all the players, the leaders and the system. It is a very important time for me," Lindelof continued.
"It is clear that there is a difference. There are more eyes on Manchester United than there are on Benfica."
Lindelof is currently on international duty with Sweden as they prepare for World Cup Qualifiers against Bulgaria and Belarus.
Watch Bulgaria v Sweden live on Sky Sports Football via the Red Button from 7.45pm on Thursday.
