According to an article published on 30 December in The Athletic, the popular Premier League football club Manchester United has chosen to activate Swedish center-back Victor Lindelof’s option for a 12-month contract extension.
The 29-year-old was approaching the last six months of his current contract with the Old Trafford team, and therefore the option for an additional year from his previous contract was activated in fear of a Bosman ruling, which allows players to move to a new club at the end of their contract without having to pay a fee to their previous team.
When at his best physically, Lindelof has been a consistent member of Man Utd’s squad under manager Erik ten Hag, and although Harry Maguire, Raphael Varane and Jonny Evans had also been fielded in the centre of defence, the Dutchman sees Lindelof as a key component of his strategies.
With 18 appearances in all competitions, the captain of the Sweden national team has been the Red Devils’ most-used center-back thus far in the 2023 season.
Lindelof has been used at left-back multiple times this season, but he can also play right-back and defensive midfield as he looks to impress other teams in the upcoming months in order to get a new contract in 2025.
In October 2009, Lindelof made his debut with Västerås SK in Sweden, where he started his football career. He consented to relocate to Portugal in December 2011 and started out playing youth and B teams for Benfica. In addition to winning three Primeira Liga championships, he continued to play for the squad at the B level after making his first-team debut in September 2013.
At the under-17, under-19, under-21, and senior levels, Lindelöf has represented Sweden. He was a member of the 2015 UEFA European Under-21 Championship winning team. In March 2016, he earned his senior international debut and went on to represent his nation in the 2018 FIFA World Cup, UEFA Euro 2020, and UEFA Euro 2016.
In June 2017, Victor Lindelof signed a four-year contract with an additional year of option to join Man United from S.L. Benfica. Since then, he has made appearances in 249 games and scored four goals, while making excellent contributions in the defensive side of the sport.
🚨 BREAKING! #mufc have activated option to extend Victor Lindelof’s contract until summer 2025. [@David_Ornstein] pic.twitter.com/anDNiN1r9x
— The United Stand (@UnitedStandMUFC) December 30, 2023
Future of Manchester United
On 30 December, Manchester United received a heartbreaking 2-1 loss at the hands of Nottingham Forest at The City Ground in Nottinghamshire, England, while their captain Bruno Fernandes was trolled on the internet as his obnoxious conduct on the field was compared to a rat.
Man United is anticipated to make significant roster changes in the upcoming two transfer windows, Lindelof’s contract was accepted by the new co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his team, meaning he will stay with the team into the summer of 2024.
Despite this, the Premier League has not yet approved the British billionaire’s 25% ownership of the Old Trafford team, due to which he has not yet taken official command of the club from the Theatre of Dreams.
Upon approval, Ratcliffe will have the final say in all football-related and important sporting matters of Manchester United, including player contracts, throughout the ratification process.
Not only does Lindelof’s contract expire at the end of the season, but several other players also had theirs set to expire in June 2024: Tom Heaton, Jonny Evans, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Anthony Martial, and Hannibal Mejbri.
What is the Premier League?
The Premier League is the top division of the English football league system, which is contested by 20 clubs and uses the English Football League’s (EFL) promotion and relegation system.
Every team plays 38 home and away games against every other team throughout the normal August–May season. With a few rare weekday evening matches, the majority of games take place in the afternoons on Saturdays and Sundays.
On February 20, 1992, the First Division (the premier league from 1888 until 1992) clubs decided to secede from the English Football League, which led to the creation of the FA Premier League. However, teams participating in this competition might still be promoted from and demoted to the EFL Championship.
With a potential TV audience of 4.7 billion people due to its partnership with Sky Sports, BBC Sport, TNT Sports and Amazon Prime Video, the Premier League is the most watched sports league in the entire world, which is seen and enjoyed in 212 territories across 643 million homes.