Manchester United Defender Has 'No Problem' Sharing Minutes With Summer Signee

Manchester United defender Victor Lindelof sees the signing of Raphael Varane this summer as something “positive,” despite him potentially losing minutes to the former Real Madrid standout.

Manchester United fans feared that the Swedish center-back would ask for a transfer out of Old Trafford as soon as the signing of Varane was completed since he would be Lindelof’s main competition at the position.

But Lindelof made it clear in an interview with FotbollDirekt that he welcomes having Varane on their side.

“I think it’s great. I play in one of the world’s biggest clubs and it’s clear that you want good players. It’ll always be a competitive situation. I only see it as [a] positive that we get good players in the club. It will only develop us. For my own part, I see no problem with it,” said the newly appointed captain of the Sweden international team.

He said that he does not mind missing a match here and there after having some back issues last year. With Varane around to take off some of the load, it gives his body a better chance to stay healthy this season.

The Red Devils acquired Varane from Real Madrid after both sides agreed to a £41 million ($57 million) transfer deal in late July. He was presented to the Old Trafford crowd prior to their season opening match against Leeds United on Aug. 14.

The French center-back made his English Premier League debut two weeks later on Aug. 29, contributing an assist to the lone goal in a victory over the Wolverhampton Wanderers away from home at the Molineux Stadium.

United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has a wealth of options on the backline, including Varane, Lindelof, Eric Bailly and team captain Harry Maguire.

The recently concluded summer transfer window saw top-flight English clubs like Chelsea and Manchester City improve their lineups by a big margin, but Manchester United is not that far behind.

In addition to Varane, they were also able to sign Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund and Cristiano Ronaldo from Juventus.

It is widely believed that Ronaldo will complete his return to Old Trafford as they face Newcastle United on Saturday.