Manchester United Transfer News: Victor Lindelof Rumours, Anthony Martial Latest
Manchester United will not sign Benfica centre-back Victor Lindelof in January, according to reports.
BBC Sport's Simon Stone has stated the Red Devils have not made an offer for the defender as of yet and will not be looking to secure the player midseason, despite speculation that a deal was close to completion for the Sweden international.
According to Stone, "the form of Phil Jones and Marcos Rojo in central defence has persuaded manager Jose Mourinho he does not need to buy." It's noted that the Old Trafford boss is also confident in his depth at centre-back, with Eric Bailly, Daley Blind and Chris Smalling all vying for spots in the starting XI.
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Even so, given his excellent form in 2016, plenty associated with United had become excited by the prospect of Lindelof’s arrival. Here’s a reminder why:
The Benfica man has made rapid progress over the last 12 months, establishing himself at the heart of the Lisbon side with some commanding performances. Lindelof is authoritative, aggressive and composed on the ball; the 22-year-old boasts the skills that suggest he would be a fine long-term partner for Bailly.
However, in Jones and Rojo, Mourinho has stumbled upon an unlikely partnership at the back, with both players down the pecking order at the start of the campaign. Sports journalist Liam Canning has been impressed with the duo:
Given both Jones and Rojo are renowned for being injury-prone, there are doubts as to whether the pair will be able to maintain their partnership for the rest of the campaign. Even so, some will remain unsure whether they are good enough for Mourinho to forge a title-winning team around.
Lindelof, in the long term at least, looked like that type of player, and even though United have options at the back, stepping away from this deal will leave a lot of fans disappointed. However, given the talent, age and character of the defender, it would be no surprise to see this one readdressed in the summer.
Anthony Martial Considering Sevilla Offer
Philippe Lamboley, the agent of Manchester United forward Anthony Martial, has confirmed there has been an offer from Sevilla to take the Frenchman on loan, which is being considered.
"We're studying the Sevilla option very closely," Lamboley told ABC de Sevilla (h/t Ian Holyman of ESPN FC). "Sevilla is a very good club, in a good position in La Liga. They're in the Champions League and have a great coach. That's what I can say."
After a blistering debut season, Martial has found minutes more difficult to come by in 2016-17 and has just one Premier League goal to his name this term.
Even so, according to James Ducker of the Daily Telegraph, the Red Devils will not sanction any deal that will see the 21-year-old move on:
Indeed, Mourinho recently advised the youngster to look to the example of Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who had to work hard to earn his place in the XI, per SFR Sport (h/t Holyman).
The drop in Martial's form is no surprise. Since his move to Old Trafford in the summer of 2015, he has gone through plenty, quickly becoming the Red Devils' star attacker, playing more football than ever in his young career and featuring for France on home soil at the UEFA European Championship in the summer.
As such, talk of a potential exit is premature. After all, United remain involved in four competitions on the cusp of 2017, meaning there will be plenty of games to play in the months to come; Martial will likely feature as a result.
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