Forget Pogba, Rashford And De Gea - This Manchester United Player Is Crucial If They Are To Beat Liverpool

Manchester United's epic run of form under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has seen the Red Devils catapult into the top-four of the Premier League, and victory this afternoon against Liverpool at Old Trafford will see them take another huge step to boosting their chances of booking a Champions League spot next season.

The likes of Paul Pogba, Marcus Rashford and David De Gea have flourished under Solskjaer's watch following the sacking of Jose Mourinho, but it's Victor Lindelof's performances that have helped solidify the United defence and the Swedish international will need to be at the top of his game on Sunday to stop Liverpool's attacking stars.

Lindelof was constantly in and out of the team under Mourinho, but Solskjaer has elected to give the £30m signing a consistent run in the starting XI and it has paid dividends with the 24-year-old blossoming at the heart of United's defence.

Solskjaer opted to rest Lindelof in United's 3-0 win over Fulham, but had previously played the defender in every single minute of every Premier League match since his arrival at the club.  Solskjaer's confidence in Lindelof has seen him improve immeasurably, and the defender has been improving with every game and he will need to show his best on Sunday when he is given the job of trying to keep the likes of Mo Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane quiet at Old Trafford.

Lindelof averages 4.5 clearances a game and his ability to clear danger on Sunday will be put under pressure, while he is fourth on the list of Manchester United's top passers this season, so it shows that he is happy with the ball at his feet as he tries to ignite the attacks.  Lindelof's fine form was given the praise it warranted when he was nominated for the January Player of the Month award, but he lost out to above-mentioned Rashford.

Sound in the air, Lindelof will have to deal with the trickery of Liverpool's attacking triumvirate, but if he can continue to show his best form then he can be an integral cog in the United defence, who are aiming to shut out Liverpool and inflict a huge dent on their title aspirations.