Victor Lindelof has chosen Raphael Varane as having the mentality he would want most if he were to build the best player using the traits of the current Manchester United squad.
The Swede was asked by club media to select one teammate for each element of a footballer such as vision, tackling, finishing, stamina and pace. The 29-year-old chose fellow defender Varane as having the best mindset within the squad.
Varane, a World Cup champion and four-time Champions League winner, has struggled to get back into Erik ten Hag’s first-choice XI since coming back from his latest setback. Harry Maguire and Lindelof have mostly got the nod, with Varane not starting a Premier League game since September.
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His mentality will be put to the test ahead of a busy festive period, after which Lisandro Martinez is expected to return from his recurring metatarsal injury. United face a crossroads with the Frenchman in the summer when the 30-year-old will have only a year left on his contract.
A January exit seems unlikely given the injury to Martinez while Maguire, Varane and Evans have all been out at some stage too. However, Varane has not had the steadiest start to his season, being one of many key players out of form.
That said, he is clearly still revered by his teammates with Lindelof pointing to him as having the best mentality. He went on to identify other teammates for different aspects of the ‘perfect’ United player out of the current squad.
Lindelof was also asked to build his perfect player from all of those he ever played with and against, and others.
Lindelof’s perfect United player
Right foot - Bruno Fernandes
Left foot - Luke Shaw
Heading - Harry Maguire
Pace - Marcus Rashford
Tackling - Aaron Wan-Bissaka
Finishing - Anthony Martial
Strength - Casemiro
Skills - Marcus Rashford
Vision - Christian Eriksen
Mentality - Raphael Varane
Stamina - Scott McTominay
Lindelof’s perfect career player
Right foot - Andrea Pirlo
Left foot - Lionel Messi
Heading - Marouane Fellaini
Pace - Kylian Mbappe
Tackling - Paolo Maldini
Finishing - Robin van Persie
Strength - Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Skills - Eden Hazard
Mentality - Zlatan Ibrahimovic
