Why Man United are wise to offer Victor Lindelof a new contract

The Sun reports that Manchester United will offer Victor Lindelof a new contract to keep him at Old Trafford for the next five years.

The report claims that Lindelof will double his wages to £150,000-a-week, and his current deal ends in 2022.

The Swede has become the first-choice alongside Harry Maguire after a decent season last time around, and this is a smart move by the club.

United protecting a valuable asset

Lindelof’s deal makes sense given that the Red Devils have struggled with contracts of certain players in recent years.

Ander Herrera left on a free to join Paris Saint-Germain, and the Sun claims that David de Gea could do the same and leave for nothing.

Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial also came close to their contracts ending before signing new deals, according to the report.

The Swede is one of the best defenders in the United side and they cannot let him leave.

The perfect defender for Solskjaer’s United

Maguire is known to be decent with his passing from the back and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer wants his side to play out from the defence.

Looking at stats from the previous season, Lindelof had more average passes per game when compared to Chris Smalling and Phil Jones in the Premier League (h/t Whoscored.com).

The Swede also had a better passing accuracy than Smalling, who was the other impressive centre-back for United last season.

It was surprising to see the Englishman leave in the summer, but Lindelof seems to be the best option for the Red Devils alongside Maguire.

Verdict

The Swede will hit his peak in a couple of years and it would be great for United to have him on their books.

Lindelof still needs to work on one or two minor aspects of his game, but he should form a great partnership with Maguire in the long-run.

Man Utd have pulled off a wise move by offering a new contract worth £150,000-a-week to this key first-team ace