Victor Lindelof was not included for the West Ham visit (Picture: Getty)
Victor Lindelof was not included for the West Ham visit (Picture: Getty)

Jose Mourinho has explained Victor Lindelof was left out of the West Ham matchday squad because he is not ready for Premier League action.

The Manchester United boss dumped Lindelof out of the squad entirely after the defender played against Real Madrid in the Super Cup.

Lindelof’s fellow summer signings, Romelu Lukaku and Nemanja Matic, were handed starts in the 4-1 victory.

And Mourinho revealed Lindelof needed time to settle in, just as Chelsea legend Ricardo Carvalho did when he first arrived at Stamford Bridge.

‘I think Real Madrid was too early for him. He played because (Phil) Jones and (Eric) Bailly were both suspended,’ said Mourinho.

(Picture: Getty)
(Picture: Getty)

Manchester United 2018/19 Fixtures

Fulham (A) - Feb 9
PSG (H) - Feb 12
Chelsea (A) - Feb 18
Liverpool (H) - Feb 24
Crystal Palace (A) - Feb 27
Southampton (H) - Mar 2

‘The difference between Lukaku and Matic is that they have years and years of experience of Premier League.

‘In 2004 I bought a phenomenal central defender to England, Ricardo Carvalho.

‘He was one of the best central defenders in the last decade in the Premier League.

Romelu Lukaku is used to the Premier League (Picture: Getty)
Ricardo Carvalho left Chelsea a legend (Picture: Getty)
Ricardo Carvalho left Chelsea a legend (Picture: Getty)

‘But he struggled and it was difficult for him to come and adapt in the beginning.

‘Victor needs a little bit of time and he is going to have that time.

‘Let’s go step by step because Victor is a fantastic player.’

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Lindelof took part in a post-match training session on the Old Trafford pitch after the West Ham victory on Sunday.

The centre-back cost big money from Benfica this summer as a £31million investment for United.

Lindelof may carry a healthy price tag, but Chris Smalling, Eric Bailly and Phil Jones are all currently ahead of him in the centre-back pecking order.

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