In their Saturday edition, Portuguese newspaper A Bola reported that Manchester United are still ‘lurking’ to sign Victor Lindelof from Benfica. Having said goodbye to the player several times, the Portuguese press are now in a situation they’ll be very familar with, having reported Nico Gaitan to Manchester United was happening for about three years.
That’s not to say the Portuguese press are always wrong, they’re not. It was they who were first with claims on Marcos Rojo to Manchester United, and it was they who were first with Gaitan actually going to Atletico Madrid. When a Portugal based player moves away, the scoop is usually given to the Portuguese newspapers.
What seems to be the case with Lindelof, reading between the lines, is that Benfica learned of some level of Manchester United interest and then built a deal and presented it to Ed Woodward and co.
Manchester United then likely baulked at paying more than the player’s release clause, also voiced concerns about Benfica trying to cheat Vasteras, Lindelof’s former club, out of a sell-on clause, and told the Portuguese club they weren’t really that desperate for a defender anyway.
Not to give up, Benfica then sorted out the situation with Vasteras, kept Lindelof out of the past two games (he’s actually back in the team playing on Saturday night), and hoped that a stroke of luck would come their way. A Phil Jones injury is now surely overdue, and that would have helped push the deal along.
No such luck.
What has come their way is a Marcos Rojo injury, which Jose Mourinho has confirmed is an unknown muscle issue. If Rojo was out for longer than a game or few, then with Eric Bailly away that would leave Manchester United short.
Having spent the morning sticking pins in a Marcos Rojo voodoo doll, Benfica now stare at the telephone, willing it to ring.
— Sport Witness (@Sport_Witness) January 7, 2017
However, perhaps the impact of the Africa Cup of Nations is overstated, because even if the Ivory Coast win the tournament, Bailly should be back in a month.
Benfica may well be hoping that Rojo’s injury isn’t anything too trivial, that he used to play for Sporting will undoubtedly help them with those thoughts. It provides them with some realistic hope to cling to over a deal being completed.
It should surprise nobody that O Jogo and Record have already reported Rojo’s injury gives a boost to the Lindelof deal.
Benfica will likely continue to stick pins into voodoo dolls of Manchester United defenders, hoping they can subsequently cash-in big time on Lindelof.
