Manchester United made the decision to spend £30m on Benfica and Sweden defender Victor Lindelof in the summer, and it was a move that was met with approval by the vast majority of the club's fans.
Jose Mourinho's outstanding track-record in terms of signing central defenders - the most recent example being Eric Bailly who has become a firm fan-favourite at Old Trafford - and his highlight reel from Portugal where he was seen playing out from the back with composure were the two main reasons for this, but it's clear that there has been a shift over the past few weeks that was best showcased by the reaction to his penalty concession against Real Madrid.
Lindelof's challenge, which resulted in Madrid's equaliser from the spot, was absolutely wild. It was also not the only time the Swede has left the United fans that tuned in to the club's pre-season tour feeling uneasy.
The fact that he went on to miss a penalty in the shootout matters little, although it would have no doubt knocked his confidence further, but over the four games he has participated in, he has not looked like a good fit.
It absolutely is too early to write him off, and as of yet nobody has been silly enough to do that, but with Eric Bailly last summer you could see from the very start that he had something about him from his pre-season performances.
The same is not being said about Lindelof.
Lindelof hasn't done much so far in the US to suggest he is much of an upgrade on Jones or Smalling..
— Mark Ogden (@MarkOgden_) July 21, 2017
Told you Lindelof was shit, you can't sound like a spell from Harry Potter and be a good footballer at the same time I'm sorry
— ® (@MADVILLAlNY) July 23, 2017
Lindelof already showing signs of spending-too-much-time-with-Phil-Jones syndrome.
— Tom Coast (@thcoast) July 23, 2017
Lindelof lad you gotta sort out your timing. Might work in benfica but in the EPL they'll give you red cards like its valentines day
— kenna (@kennagq) July 23, 2017
Lindelof has been very unimpressive in pre season so far. That tops it off.
— Seán Sheehan (@SeanSheehanBA) July 23, 2017
Not impressed with Lindelof on the tour so far :/
— Lethal R Lukaku 9 (@LethalRLukaku9) July 23, 2017
There is, of course, a lot of opposition to those opinions.
The two names that are being thrown around in the wake of this criticism are those of Nemanja Vidic and Patrice Evra, two defenders that visibly needed months of adjustment time before they were able to show their best at the club, and there are similarities to be drawn, but the main issue with those expressing their lack of confidence in the Swede is how little they have seen of him.
It took Patrice Evra & Nemanja Vidic 6 months to fully settle, so maybe you should take a day off instead of whining about Lindelof. Sooks.
— Adam Joseph (@AdamJosephSport) July 23, 2017
Victor Lindelof is a winner. The lad was watching Nemanja Vidic comps yesterday and got carried away, leave him alone
— José (@MourinhoMindset) July 23, 2017
I seem to remember Vidic and Evra and even Pallister making a few howlers in their early days...they all did ok...let's give Lindelof time
— The MUFC Academy ? (@mrmujac) July 23, 2017
It is too early to judge a player, but it's clear that a lot of the fans who have watched him were expecting more.
Now, on Vidic and Evra, yes, they both struggled initially before finding their feet and flourishing, but can Lindelof be afforded the same time?
It's quite clear that Chris Smalling and Phil Jones are not the answer, so Lindelof was signed to be a first-choice defender, to start right away like Bailly did last season.
With three weeks to go until the season kicks off, most of the fans remain unsure as to who they want to partner the Ivorian, and considering he is unavailable for three matches as his UEFA ban extended earlier today, Lindelof will be expected to perform in the near future.
Again, it's stupid to write him off, maybe he's just having a bad tour, but it's rare to see a big signing turn a lot of fans off so early in the season.
