VICTOR ‘CAN SEE CLEARLY NOW BUT THE PAIN’S NOT GONE’
VICTOR LINDELOF believes Manchester United’s strengthened winning mentality is behind growing hopes they could mount a serious push for the Premier League title.
The defender himself has had to ‘play through the pain’ but got his reward as United thumped bitter rivals Leeds 6-2 on Sunday.
Seven points from three games since bowing out of the Champions League have lifted Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side to third, five points behind leaders Liverpool.
United face a Carabao Cup quarter-final at Everton tomorrow before visiting fellow high-flyers Leicester on Boxing Day, and Lindelof said: ‘The most important thing for us is that we’re focusing on one game at a time. We have been performing good and we have got some good results.
‘The main thing for us is just to keep working hard, keep focusing on the next game but obviously when you win games you gain more confidence and that’s what we’ve been doing lately.
‘That’s how we want to approach the game. We always want to win. We never want to stop.’
Hopes are high United can get closer to the title than at any point since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013 and Lindelof believes the way they never let up against Leeds after Scott McTominay grabbed two goals in the first three minutes is evidence of their new-found ruthlessness.
‘It was 4-1 going into half-time and then we knew still Leeds wouldn’t stop running and stop fighting,’ added Lindelof.
‘Especially in the second half, we showed again the right mentality to keep on doing the things we know we can do.’
Lindelof could easily have missed the Leeds game after taking a blow to the knee in last Thursday’s 3-2 win at Sheffield United.
‘I’ve been struggling a lot with my back over the past couple of months, so it’s very important for me to do the treatment and recovery right.
‘Against Sheffield, I got a bad knock on my knee so I was 50-50 (to face Leeds) but I managed to play. I’ve been struggling a little bit but I managed to play through the pain.’
I’ve been struggling a little bit but I managed to play through the pain