Victor Lindelof has admitted that he misses former Manchester United manager José Mourinho.
Mourinho has been out of management since his United exit almost a year ago and is currently working as a TV pundit on Sky Sports.
Lindelof, who was signed by the Portuguese from Benfica for a fee of £30 million back in 2017, is keen for his previous boss to return to work.
Mourinho out of football for almost a year
“He is, after all, one of the world’s best coaches and he is supposed to have a job at one of the biggest clubs. I miss him in football,” Lindelof told Aftonbladet.
“He’s a great coach and a great person, whom I owe a great deal. It was he who gave me the chance here, who brought me into everything.”
Mourinho won three trophies in his spell at United and with the signing of Lindelof, led his side to an impressive second-placed finish in 2017-18, despite being 19 points adrift of Premier League winners Manchester City.
Lindelof appreciates Mourinho's impact on him
His winning reputation is one of the reasons why the Swede respects him so highly:
“I have all the respect in the world for him and appreciate everything he has said and done for me, from scolding to a hug.
“Even if I did not agree, at the time…he has very great charisma, you had great respect for him.
He’s won everything. When he says something, you listen.”
Lindelof featured in United’s 3-1 win over Brighton at the weekend, despite missing their 3-0 victory over Partizan Belgrade in the Europa League just days earlier with a back injury.
The 25-year-old was named Sweden’s footballer of the year earlier this week, and has established himself as a regular starter in Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s Manchester United team alongside centre back partner Harry Maguire who signed for the Red Devils in the summer.