Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has hailed Chris Smalling and Victor Lindelof’s performances in the 2-0 victory over Huddersfield in the fifth round of the FA Cup.
The two defenders were involved from the start of the match and put in convincing displays despite initial concerns from fans.
Lindelof is clearly a player supporters look forward to seeing more of but he has proven that he needs some patience as he adjusts to his new surroundings.
Smalling meanwhile, put behind himself a horrible performance vs Newcastle to give fans some hope but they’ll surely be cautious of it.
Mourinho was certainly impressed with both players, particularly in their first half performance as United headed 1-0 up at the break.
According to Manchester Evening News, Jose said: “For the majority of the time in the first half Huddersfield were offensive, dangerous. They pushed us to good defensive work. Victor and Chris we were really good.”
Romelu Lukaku scored the opening goal of the match within three minutes time but it was thanks to the team’s defending that they held onto that score.
Huddersfield proved to be willing to play more attacking than in their previous fixtures in the Premier League and dominated the Red Devils for large portions of the first half.
Had a Juan Mata goal not been ruled offside, Jose Mourinho’s men could’ve been 2-0 up having endured an absolute storm of attacking from the home side.
Chris and Victor played with each other in a not so common partnership but were still impressive in the eventual victory.
Whether it’s enough to convince Mourinho to keep the Englishman at Manchester United amid reports that he’s looking to sell is yet to be seen but it’s a step forwards at least.