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Manchester United Fan View: Mourinho took an unnecessary risk by rolling the dice with Lindelof

Phil Jones’ departure from the John Smiths Stadium’s field on Saturday in the 23rd minute was only supposed to be a minor footnote. Instead, it was the catalyst for Huddersfield’s shock victory.

It really didn’t have to be, though. While Manchester United’s lackadaisical response to Huddersfield, which not only allowed the home side to score two quick goals but also saw United struggle to build up the rhythm to launch a comeback, was cited as the main reason for the loss, something that Mourinho was quick to insist himself, both goals probably could have been avoided if the manager had brought Daley Blind on instead of Victor Lindelof.

Of course it is easy to state all of this after the fact. But it was immediately clear that bringing on Lindelof was a risk. The £31 million signing might have played in all three of Manchester United’s European games, during which time they have conceded just once, but his pre-season woes always suggested he was going to take time to adjust to the rigours of the Premier League. That’s why his only appearance so far domestically was the remaining few seconds of the game at Anfield.

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When it became clear that Jones couldn’t carry on Mourinho saw an opportunity to bed Lindelof in. But Huddersfield were always going to be a tricky proposition. Not just because the game against Manchester United was their biggest and most glamorous of the season, a match that everyone inside of the stadium was going to be up for, but they also had the physicality and speed to expose a nervy Lindelof. And that’s before we get to the fact that Lindelof was coming off the bench and had no time at all to regulate to the feisty conditions.

Lindelof only has himself to blame for what transpired after he stepped onto the pitch, though. While Juan Mata giving the ball away was the biggest crime for the first goal, Lindelof probably could have done more to stop Tom Ince getting his shot off, which immediately led to Aaron Mooy’s opener, while his misplaced header for the second was a feeble embarrassment. It’s way too early to dismiss Lindelof, though. He needs time to adjust, and making such a huge and blatant mistake actually could be the making of him.

It’s just frustrating that Jose Mourinho decided to go with Lindelof when the more experienced and proven Daley Blind was available on the bench, too. Blind is far from perfect as a centre-back, but over his three years at Manchester United he has proven to be more than reliable, and his reading of the game, intelligence, and ability to mix it with and placate those stronger and faster than him is often under-looked.

On the other hand, Lindelof’s inexperience was always destined to be tested in Saturday’s emotional cauldron of a contest, especially since Huddersfield’s most likely route to victory was courtesy of a United mistake. In the end they capitalised on two, which was exactly what they needed to land a famous three points.