Victor Lindelof will get his contract extended by Manchester United in the summer as a show of support for the Swedish international.
Since Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane have become Erik ten Hag's first-choice defensive pairing, Lindelof has spent the majority of the season on United's substitutes' bench. But after starting each of the last four games, he has been thrust into the limelight.
In addition to Harry Maguire missing the FA Cup semi-final victory over Brighton due to suspension, Martinez and Varane are both out with injuries. As a result, Lindelof has played the last two games alongside Luke Shaw, and it appears that Ten Hag has been impressed.
According to The Daily Star, United's contract extension by one year will be triggered in June. Despite the fact that Lindelof's current deal was set to expire in June 2024, the decision will extend his time with the team by one more year.
In July 2017, Lindelof moved to United for £31 million from Benfica, and since then, he has made 223 appearances for the team across all competitions. Ten Hag sees him as an important team member even though he isn't anticipated to be the first choice when others are healthy.
The 28-year-old is well-liked within Carrington's staff, and his versatility—while he excels at playing center back, Lindelof can also slot in at right back—is another plus.
His technical prowess was on display last weekend at Wembley when he maintained his composure to calmly shoot his penalty into the top corner in sudden death and profit from Solly March's error.
Ten Hag recently outlined his approach to utilize the complete squad.
"We have a squad – we have more than 11 starters – so now others are on and, when their time is there, you have to show and contribute to the team, you have to be ready. That is what we expect and that is what we demand," he said.
“If you find excuses, if you want to find excuses, you have to look for another club. When the moment is there you have to contribute and that is what we demand.”
Back in March, when serving with Sweden on international duty, Lindelof acknowledged he was thinking about leaving the game because of a lack of playing time.
"Of course like every player, you want to play every game and obviously I have not done that this season. But I haven't thought about that, right now I'm focusing on the national team and then of course the rest of the season with the club," he said.
"Then in the summer we'll have to re-evaluate and see what's best. But like I always say when I come here, it's a pleasure to be here and I'm very happy to represent my country and I'm really looking forward to the games that we have."
In the meantime, worries about Harry Maguire's England place may drive him to leave Manchester United this summer.
First under Erik ten Hag's leadership, the Red Devils captain has had a miserable season at Old Trafford. As soon as Lisandro Martinez arrived, he instantly dropped down the pecking order since the Argentine quickly formed a strong alliance with Raphael Varane.
Due to this, Maguire has only made seven Premier League starts this season, a drastic decline from his previous status as the most expensive defender in football. The center defender has not impressed even when he has played.
His status has come under greater scrutiny in recent weeks due to a string of errors-filled performances, with mistakes in the Red Devils' Europa League match against Sevilla ultimately costing the team its place in Europe.
After being adamant to stay put, Maguire now seems to be leaning towards leaving Old Trafford in an effort to save his international career. The 30-year-old is becoming concerned that he might have to leave United, according to Mail Online.
He was said to desire to stay with the team and be committed to regaining his position under Ten Hag. When asked last month if he had pondered about his future, the former Leicester star responded “No. There’s a game every three days and I’m training as hard as I can."
"I’m in a good place mentally and physically, I feel good. The training sessions are really intense, especially the day after a game."
"There will be lads unhappy because they’ve not played or sat on the bench. That’s part of football, but it adds more competition and high-quality training where the lads are covering similar distances to what they do in a game. That’s a credit to the players and the coaching staff here putting on those sessions."
Despite being Gareth Southgate's longtime first choice, he is worried that his continuing inactivity with the Red Devils could cost him a spot in the England squad for the Euros next summer.
Maguire has played 55 times for England during the course of his career and has worked closely with current Three Lions manager Southgate. He was instrumental in the team's march to the Euro 2020 championship and helped them advance to the 2018 World Cup semifinals in Russia.
There are now two years left on Harry Maguire's United contract. West Ham, a Premier League rival, and Seria A giants Inter Milan and Roma were also said to be interested in making a move in January.
The defender has made 172 appearances across all competitions since joining Old Trafford under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's leadership, and he eventually won his first trophy earlier this season after the Carabao Cup victory over Newcastle.
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