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Wednesday 24 June 2020 19:16, UK
Victor Lindelof did not have the easiest of starts at Manchester United and in an exclusive interview with Sky Sports, reveals how hard work has seen him make great strides at Old Trafford.
The defender has just celebrated three years since signing for the club in June 2017 and has cemented himself as one of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's first-choice centre-backs, creating a strong defensive partnership with Harry Maguire.
But Lindelof has had to fight for his spot. In his first season under Jose Mourinho, he played in just 17 Premier League games and quickly learned about the difficulty of the English game. In October 2017, he was thrown on as a substitute for the injured Phil Jones against Huddersfield and within 10 minutes had made two errors that led to opposition goals.
Since then, his appearances and performances have come on leaps and bounds. He has started in 27 of Manchester United's 30 Premier League games this season, playing 90 minutes in each apart from Friday's 1-1 draw with Tottenham, when he was substituted 12 minutes from the end - understandable after a three-month break from competitive fixtures.
It is hard work and a strong mentality that Lindelof says has helped him overcome a tough start to become one of United's most regular players.
"It's been three good and very important years in my career," he said in an exclusive interview with Sky Sports. "I've developed and learnt a lot so it's been a great ride. I'm very happy to be here, so hopefully I can learn even more and become better.
"I think it [joining Man Utd] was an important time for me to get to know the club, my team-mates and the way we play the game. I knew I could have played better on the pitch but it was great for me as well to learn everything and I think it has served me quite well. I'm happy with the way I've been playing and helping out the team.
"I always work hard and listen to the coaches and the tips that they give me. I'm a hard-working guy, I'm a humble guy, I know I have to work hard to be where I am, but I always have confidence in myself and know what I can do on the pitch.
"I think that's one thing to have, a strong mentality and another that you have to work hard for the things that you have. I'm at one of the biggest clubs in the world and there are a lot of players who want to be in my position so I'm very humbled that I am here and that's why I work hard.
"We had a good run before the league stopped, it was 11 games unbeaten and now it's 12 and I think we played some really good football over that period of time and hopefully we can try and do the same now.
"The last game against Tottenham, we played some good football, made a few good chances and I think we should have won that game but we didn't. It was the first game back after three months and if you look at it that way, I think we played some good stuff. We can continue to work hard and keep getting better and better on the pitch."
One Manchester United player who has been making headlines recently is Marcus Rashford, with his campaign for free school dinners to be extended over the summer drawing a U-turn from the government.
Speaking about his team-mate, Lindelof said: "Everyone is very proud of him and I think he's a fantastic role model for a lot of people out there. He's a young guy and the way he has been using his platform, it's amazing and the things he's been achieving during the lockdown and over the last week has been unbelievable. He's a fantastic guy off the pitch too so I couldn't be happier for him."
Lindelof began his career in his native Sweden but moved to Benfica as a teenager, and says his ease on the ball was something he developed during his time in Portugal.
He said: "It was difficult in the beginning, I moved away from my family and friends and lived alone in another country where I didn't know the language or anything. So the first six months was hard but after that, I learned a little bit more Portuguese and everything. It was different but it helped me grow as a player and a person so it was a very important time for me in my life.
"The Premier League is one of the best leagues in the world, that's the main difference. There are more teams that are playing at a higher level and every game is difficult.
"But the time in Portugal was very important for me because I've always been comfortable with the ball, but I think I proved that even more there because it was a very important thing in the game. I think that's the main thing I took from there, the way I play with the ball and the way you can find and create spaces with it."
The defender was meant to be competing in Euro 2020 with Sweden at the moment, but the tournament has now been moved to next summer due to the coronavirus pandemic.
With a place at the 2021 tournament now the aim, Lindelof said: "I think everyone who plays football, especially when it's a European Championships, it's always a great thing [to play in] and it's always a proud moment to represent your country in a big tournament like that.
"But during these circumstances, it's not possible and we can't really complain, you just have to accept that. I think it was the right decision because the most important thing is the safety of the people. It only got postponed for one year so we will have to wait another year to prepare and hope that we can get better and perform well next year.
"We have a good team. We've been playing lots and over the past couple of years, we have been having almost the same squad and the same players so we know each other very well and we know how we want to play as a team. Exactly what kind of a goal [for Sweden at Euro 2020], it's difficult to answer that now but we want to try and win as many games as possible and try to represent Sweden in a good way."
Next up for Manchester United is their first behind closed doors game at Old Trafford against Sheffield United on Wednesday, live on Sky Sports.
With the Blades just two points behind United in the table, Lindelof is expecting another tough fixture this week.
"They're a strong team, they've been performing well and getting good results during the season," he added. "They're not an easy team to play against, they're very organised and they work hard together so it's going to be a difficult game.
"They defend well, they don't concede many chances so I think it's going to be a tough, physical game. We have to work for that but also we also have to do the things we want to do on the pitch, we have to spread the ball quickly and make it hard for them out there.
"If we do the right things, we will be able to get the three points because with the quality we have in the team, I think we are able to do that."
Sky Sports are broadcasting 64 live Premier League games for the 2019/20 season resumption. In addition to the 39 matches already scheduled to be broadcast exclusively live on Sky Sports before the coronavirus interruption, 25 more matches are being broadcast on both Sky Sports Premier League and Sky's free-to-air Pick channel, allowing the whole nation to be part of the return of live sport.
To celebrate the return of the Premier League, Sky Sports have also launched a host of innovative new features and updates to give fans an even more immersive experience and share the moments live with family and friends on virtual platforms.
