Man Utd Boss Jose Mourinho Puts Faith in Victor Lindelof in the Wake of Phil Jones' Injury

Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho has told BT Sport that summer purchase Victor Lindelof is a necessity now that Phil Jones is injured.

Jones was sent back to United after joining up with the England squad during the international break, due to a problem, and Mourinho will have to do without him until he's fit again.

Lindelof, meanwhile, hasn't inspired much confidence from the Portuguese, who prefers the partnership of Jones and Eric Bailly as centre-backs. But Lindelof now has an opportunity to earn the manager's trust.

He was included in the Red Devils' starting lineup against former club Benfica on Wednesday in the Champions League - a game in which United came away with a narrow 1-0 victory - with Chris Smalling partnering him at the back, with Bailly also out.

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Benfica boss Rui Vitoria has backed his former player to win Mourinho's favour, describing him as a 'cold' and 'competitive' defender with lots of quality ahead of the match between the two sides.

"He is a very high quality player, he has been playing with Jose Mourinho," the manager said.

“Of course when you move from the Portuguese championship to an English championship, there is a phase, a stage of adaptation.

“I do foresee that in the future Lindelof will be a player of Jose Mourinho's team. He has a lot of value, he is very cold, very competitive and has a great deal of quality.”