Ten Hag considers SURPRISE Man Utd player 'UNTOUCHABLE'

Stuart Telford

• 9 Jun 2023 17:57 BST
• 3 min read

Erik ten Hag has no intention of letting Victor Lindelof leave Manchester United this summer according to transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano.

The winds of change are expected to sweep through Old Trafford once again this summer, with Harry Maguire and Scott McTominay among the first-team players reportedly made available for transfer.

Lindelof was expected to join them in leaving the club having only made only 14 Premier League starts this season with Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez Ten Hag's preferred central defensive partnership, but it appears he still has a role to play.

READ: Man Utd to extend contract of defender who was set for exit

"Erik ten Hag has never changed his position on Victor Lindelof - he's untouchable," Romano tweeted. "Same message sent to Atletico Madrid and Inter Milan last January is still valid now.

"Eintracht Frankfurt were never in concrete talks with Man United. Atletico and Inter were keen on signing him but no chance."

A ball-playing centre-back, Lindelof has completed 94 per cent of his passes over the last year, putting him in the 98th percentile by that measure among players in his position Premier League-wide.

READ: Revealed: The 15 Man Utd players who could be sold this summer

Squad planning

It appears Ten Hag values him as the first option at centre-back should Varane or Martinez get injured - as has happened to both in recent months - with Luke Shaw primarily a left-back in the Dutchman's thinking.

Lindelof joined Man Utd from Benfica for €35 million in July 2017 and is still valued at €22.1m by FootballTransfers' in-house algorithm despite having fallen down the pecking order at Old Trafford since then.

The Swede - who is capped 58 times by his country - is out of contract next summer, but United are now expected to exercise their option to extend his stay in Manchester by another year.

As well as Maguire, United are expected to sell centre-back Eric Bailly this summer following the Ivorian's unsuccessful loan spell with Marseille.