Ex-Benfica defender Victor Lindelof became the very first signing of the 2017 summer transfer window for Manchester United on Wednesday, agreeing to a £30.75 million, four year deal. It’s a very rich contract, especially so for a defender, and that means a lot will be expected of the new player who will likely pair with Eric Bailly in central defense.
United wanted to move on Lindelof back during the January transfer window, but complications stood in the way. At the time Bailly himself said how much he approved of the idea to acquire the talented Swede, raising the bar of hype further.
#HejVictor is the hashtag for this deal, a la #Pogback for the Paul Pogba return last summer. When a transfer deal has its very own hashtag, it only ramps up the expectations even further.
Lindelof told Aftonbladet that he’s happy the transaction is now done and he no longer has to deal with rumors, gossip, speculation and other transfer related queries that he couldn’t answer to, even if desired to do so.
“There has been so much [rumours and speculation], I’m just glad it’s finished and that I’m sitting here today. I’m glad I don’t have to answer those questions [about his future] and don’t need to evade them. That feels great,” Victor Lindelof said.
“I’m proud and happy to have been given this chance, but I need a few days so that everything calms down. Then I’ll be even happier.”
The central defender also said that he doesn’t think about the expensive price tag that accompanied his move to Old Trafford.
“I don’t think about that,” Lindelof said when asked about the size of his transfer fee and the weight of expectations that go along with it.
“I don’t think it’s good to do so. I’m here to play football and perform as well as possible for Manchester United. I don’t keep track of that, it’s not something I spend time on. It’s not important to me,” Lindelof continued.
“It just means you’ve done something good and that the club really wanted me.”
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net and TheBank.News, partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network and News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, currently contributes to WGN CLTV and KOZN.
Follow him on Twitter, Instagram, Sound Cloud, LinkedIn and YouTube.