Victor Lindelof has been denied a transfer to Eintracht Frankfurt after Erik ten Hag made it clear that he wants to keep him at Manchester United.
Lindelof, 28, emerged as a key player under Ten Hag in the latter stages of the season, deputising at centre-back after Lisandro Martinez suffered a serious metatarsal injury in April. The Swedish defender impressed alongside the likes of Raphael Varane and Luke Shaw, helping United secure a third-place finish in the Premier League and reach the FA Cup final.
Earlier in the campaign, it appeared as if Lindelof would be surplus to requirements once the summer transfer window opened, having dropped down to fifth-choice centre-back. Fast forward a few months and Ten Hag has been left impressed with the Sweden captain's late run of performances and wants to keep him at Old Trafford.
According to German publication BILD, Eintracht attempted to sign Lindelof back in January. Ten Hag moved to block his exit as the Red Devils continued to challenge in four competitions, but that didn't fully deter the interest coming from Deutsche Bank Park.
Eintracht recently made their interest known again but are said to stand 'no chance' of signing Lindelof this summer. The Bundesliga outfit's star centre-back, Evan Ndicka, is out of contract at the end of June and has been tipped to join Roma on a five-year deal, a move which would see him link up with Jose Mourinho.
That leaves room in Eintracht's rearguard, but Lindelof won't be coming in to fill the void. Despite only having a contract which runs until the summer of 2024, United have the option of handing the 28-year-old an additional 12 months which would take his stay at Old Trafford to eight seasons.
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Former United boss Mourinho was the man who signed Lindelof from Portuguese giants Benfica in 2017 for an initial €35million (£30.7m). Performing at his best under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, his progression stalled last term when the Norwegian was sacked and interim manager Ralf Rangnick replaced him.
Ten Hag was reluctant to trust him at first, too, starting just five league games before Martinez' injury on April 13. Once the Argentine ace was confirmed to be ruled out for the remainder of the campaign, Lindelof stepped up and produced a string of solid displays.
His ball-playing ability impressed Ten Hag, who told the BBC in May: "He's playing fantastic. Really good games in and out of possession, totally defending in control, but then building up as well; good positioning, good decisions, so we are happy with that.
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"We already have seen we have many players, including Lindelof, who are determined to win the game in attack and defence and that is what you need if you want to be successful."
His stay makes team-mate Harry Maguire's situation even more bleak, with the out-of-favour club captain now being bottom of Ten Hag's pecking order. Maguire is determined to fight for his place next season, though, despite being warned by England boss Gareth Southgate that he risks losing his spot in the squad ahead of Euro 2024.
