Credit: Imago

Evan Lloyd

Sat 23 May 2026 12:47, UK

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Victor Lindelof has emerged as an unexpected hero for Aston Villa in the final weeks of the season, proving key in the Europa League victory.

The 31-year-old was a surprise arrival on a free transfer last summer, after he had ended his eight-year stay at Manchester United.

Lindelof’s final years at Old Trafford had been full of injuries and disappointment, and Villa faced many questions over his signing.

But over the course of the season, the Sweden international has proven exactly why Unai Emery has backed his ability.

Villa transfer chiefs gave the defender a two-year contract when he signed last summer, and it should not be ruled out that he stays beyond next summer.

The stats behind Victor Lindelof’s end to the season

Lindelof was heavily criticised during his early months at Villa, covering at centre-back and right-back but frequently looking to be off the pace.

When Pau Torres picked up an injury in December, the Swede was drafted in to cover for him and looked steady, but he was far from the quality option Villa fans had hoped their club would sign in the summer.

A moment of genius from Emery appears to have completely flipped the narrative on Lindelof, however.

As Villa chased a 1-0 deficit in the Europa League semi-final against Nottingham Forest, the Spaniard tried something rogue and started Lindelof over Lamare Bogarde in midfield.

The Villans were seriously suffering without both Boubacar Kamara and Amadou Onana, but the Swede provided the perfect partner for Youri Tielemans.

Against Nottingham Forest, he completed three interceptions, two recoveries, a dribble and almost all of his passes.

And Lindelof’s numbers over the course of the season have been getting better and better as he has continued to feature in the middle.

Emery’s trust in him was proven when he found himself starting in the middle in Villa’s Europa League victory over Freiburg on Wednesday.

Emery on ‘fantastic guy’ Lindelof

This week’s Europa League win was the first European trophy of Lindelof’s career, and the result of a superb season for Emery’s team.

But Villa’s season could have collapsed, had they not found a solution to the midfield dilemma.

The Villans were beaten by Nottingham Forest in the first leg of the semi-final, and were on route to giving up their place in the Premier League’s top five before the switch was made.

“It is one thing we did in the season, Lindelof played as a midfielder,” Emery explained after he was questioned on the move. “I spoke to him about the possibility.

“Without Kamara and Onana, also we played McGinn in midfield, but understanding what we needed overall, with set-pieces and with a player with experience, Lindelof is a fantastic guy and professional.

“He has played lots of matches like this. I didn’t need to explain a lot to him to get the game plan like we did overall. Lamare Bogarde helps us a lot of times in different positions, but today I decided after analysing everything, to play him.”