Former Premier League defender Alan Hutton believes Manchester United made a mistake in letting Victor Lindelof leave on a free transfer to Aston Villa.
Lindelof, signed by Jose Mourinho from Benfica in 2017 for a fee just over £30million, spent eight years at Old Trafford. The Swedish international made 284 appearances for the club, winning the FA Cup and Carabao Cup before falling down the pecking order under both Erik ten Hag and Ruben Amorim.
The Red Devils released Lindelof at the end of the 2024/25 season, and he was quickly snapped up by Premier League rivals Villa on a free transfer.
Lindelof's resurgence at Aston Villa
The 32-year-old made 28 appearances last season, but has grown in importance under Unai Emery, playing every minute in the league so far this campaign.
United's stark lack of defensive depth has been visible in the early stages of this season, and Hutton believes the Red Devils may now regret not having someone of Lindelof's experience amongst their ranks.
'Victor Lindelof is an international player and he had a long spell at Manchester United,' Hutton told FootballPredictions.com. 'You just look at that back four at the moment in time. It's been there for a number of seasons.'
United's defensive frailties
'They are leaking goals. Would there be opportunities if he stayed? Yeah, probably. Ask Metro Use AI to go deeper into the stories you care about – powered by Metro and trusted publications.'
'I still think he'd be in that rotation where he wouldn't necessarily be your first-choice centre-back, but he would still play games and he could help them along.'
'So I think he's done well at Aston Villa. I think it's probably the right move. He'll get more game time there, but you still see the frailties at Manchester United at this point in time. So you would think if he was at the club he would still get a chance.'
Former Villa striker Gabby Agbonlahor echoed Hutton's sentiments, claiming that Lindelof has been a 'revelation' since his move to the Midlands.
Agbonlahor's praise for Lindelof
'There is one defender who Aston Villa have got who would be Manchester United's best defender right now, and that is Victor Lindelof,' he told talkSPORT. 'He has been a revelation.'
'He's been a great pro as well, last season, he wasn't getting as many starts because Ezri Konsa was there. But he was fantastic, and I think Taylor Harwood-Bellis has got a long way to get Lindelof out of the side. He would be Manchester United's best defender now.'
