BBC Sport pundit Garth Crooks has been blown away by the transformation of Manchester United defender Victor Lindelof this season.
The former striker hailed the Sweden centre-back as the club’s “most improved player this season” after his role in Sunday’s “miraculous” clean sheet against Liverpool.
United drew 0-0 as Lindelof and company subdued their title-chasing rivals at Old Trafford.
“The fact that four Manchester United players suffered first-half injuries against Liverpool – with three of them having to be substituted – and yet still came away with a clean sheet and a point against Liverpool is bordering on the miraculous,” Crooks said in his BBC Sport team of the week column.
“The United fans were amazing and kept their depleted team going as they spent much of the match under the cosh. I thought Victor Lindelof was a rock – amazing. Without doubt, he is United’s most improved player this season.”
OPINION
Lindelof is one of many United players unrecognisable from those who stunk out the opening months of the season. But, unlike Paul Pogba, Marcus Rashford and others, the Swede had started to turn the corner even before Jose Mourinho was given the boot. He has emerged with immense credit from the team’s turnaround under Ole-Gunnar Solskjaer and his own personal nadir that saw him widely castigated following his horror show at West Ham, which many claimed should sound the death knell for his Old Trafford career. To the credit of the 24-year-old, he has demonstrated serious reservoirs of resilience and grit to fight back and show why he deserves to be a certain starter in the United defence. His performance against Liverpool alongside the equally impressive Chris Smalling was perhaps his best yet in a red shirt against top-quality opposition. Talk of United requiring a lorry load of new and expensive centre-backs this summer has suddenly gone quiet.