Victor Lindelof’s transfer to Manchester United is already getting to the stage where newspapers talk to people to get insight on whether the move will work.
But O Jogo did the opposite today and actually talked about his past. They’ve interviewed Robin Blommé, who played alongside the defender at Vasteras during his youth years.
Asked if Lindelof’s style would suit Manchester United and the Premier League, Blommé said: “I think Lindelof’s game style fits everywhere. He’s going to shine in England with the skill to play with the ball on the ground and the offensive organisation. The classic English defenders are not like this.
“I also see him as the future captain of the national team, he’s the biggest young star besides Forsberg. Vigge, as I call Lindelof, has all the characteristics to be a captain, and he’s very popular in Sweden. By the way, I don’t know why they call him Iceman. This Iceman thing is something from the press (laughs).”
Blommé was questioned about the best memories from that time, and revealed some a secret about Lindelof’s haircut: “Before a game in 2010, other defenders made him shave his head. We all had the same haircut and he needed to fit in. He had no choice! I cut his hair myself.
“Vigge liked it and kept the haircut, and I even hear that there’s a tale in Portugal that he needs to cut his hair to play well. I saw he’s with a bit of hair now, I’ll have to fly to Lisbon to fix it up again (laughs). Lindelof has always demanded a lot of himself, made more efforts than the others. Since he was a boy he’s very athletic, calm and with high confidence.”
Blommé went on to explain that whilst it took a while for Lindelof to get going, the Manchester United target proved himself capable in two positions, something which would be useful for Jose Mourinho: “He was one of the many promising youngsters who were added to Vasteras’ first team in 2010. He wasn’t one of the most spoken about, he couldn’t play much. The true development came in the following season.
“The team had a hard season and finished with the relegation in the league, but Lindelof was one of the few positive things. He initially played in midfield, then he took my position as a right-back. I like him in two positions: as a defender and also as a right-back. He’s a modern defender.”
Blommé sent out a tweet yesterday saying that according to his sources, the deal with Manchester United is done. O Jogo broke the news about the transfer earlier this week, so given Lindelof’s former teammate spoke to the newspaper yesterday, it would make you wonder if that’s the source.
Enligt mina källor ska Vigge vara klar för Man U för €45 milj. Benficas president stängde affären igår kväll. Gör sin sista match imorgon.
— Robin Blommé (@robinblomme) December 20, 2016
Both said Benfica president Luís Filipe Vieira closed the deal with Manchester United at €45m, and both have made a point of saying Lindelof will play his last match tonight.
