Lindelof needs backing, says Rio
VICTOR Lindelof needs Jose Mourinho and his United team-mates to believe in him like his Swedish counterparts have to fulfil his potential at Old Trafford, according to Rio Ferdinand.
The 23-year-old enjoyed an impressive World Cup and was at the heart of his country’s march to the quarter-finals before they were eliminated by England on Saturday.
Calm and assured alongside skipper Andreas Granqvist, and not afraid to bark orders to his fellow defenders, Lindelof hardly put a foot wrong in Sweden’s five games in Russia.
Unsurprisingly, those performances have got fans excited after Lindelof quietly improved as the season wore on at United following a confidence-shattering display at Huddersfield.
And Ferdinand, who knows all about being a big-money signing, feels he needs the backing of his club team-mates to replicate those international performances at Old Trafford.
“He’s been immense for them in this tournament,” he said.
“He’s 23 years old, he’s young, he came to Man United with a big, big price tag from Benfica
“He didn’t seem to have the confidence in a Man United shirt that I’ve seen in a Sweden shirt.
“The manager, the staff, the players in that team look like they believe in this boy.
“It doesn’t seem he has that at the moment at Manchester United and that’s what’s affected him.”