Man Utd to extend contract of defender who was set for exit

Jacque Talbot

• 30 Apr 2023 20:45 BST
• 3 min read

Manchester United are reportedly ready to extend the contract of Victor Lindelof.

The Swedish defender was set for the exit but now, as per the Daily Star, the Red Devils are looking to trigger the extension in his contract.

Lindelof has been invaluable after Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane both became unavailable through injury.

READ MORE: Jurrien Timber to Man Utd: The state of play

His contract is currently up in 2024 but now it could be up in 2025 instead.

It gives Lindelof the chance to shine under Erik ten Hag, who is looking for a squad overhaul in the upcoming summer transfer window.

It comes after Ten Hag denied that a protest by fans demanding “100% sale” of the club was a distraction.

Thousands marched to Old Trafford from the city centre in Manchester before the 1-0 win against Aston Villa in the Premier League, protesting the ownership of the Glazer family and the want for the American family to make a full sale of the Premier League giants.

Victor Lindelof appreciation tweet. 👏

That goal-line clearance.. 🔥

Another monsterclass from the Iceman. 🥶❤️ pic.twitter.com/HrQCkqO2Ap

— UF (@UtdFaithfuls) April 30, 2023

Ten Hag doesn't mind protests

The demonstration follows the news of a Man Utd takeover - with the club now seemingly leaning towards green-lighting Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s intention to purchase just over 50% of the club, rather the Qatari group’s 100%.

And the manager denied this was an unwelcome distraction. Ten Hag said: “We felt they were behind us, we have to focus to be successful, that’s what fans expect, I’m sure when we give performances like we did all season the fans are behind us. There’s a strong bond.”

“You have to wait until it’s done, have to keep going game to game,” he continued.

“It has been a brilliant week for us, started with a semi-final in a tough FA cup game [versus Brighton] – we got through to the final, then Tottenham [a draw], and today’s impressive game in two good halves - so big credits to the team.”