Jose Mourinho is prepared to hold back Victor Lindelof in the same way he did Henrikh Mkhitaryan last season until the Manchester United manager is convinced the Sweden defender is ready to make the step up to Premier League football.

Lindelof was omitted from United’s 18-man squad for Sunday’s comprehensive 4-0 win over West Ham United after Mourinho admitted the centre-half is finding the transition hard following his £30.7 million move from Benfica in June.

Mourinho said he was forced to play Lindelof against his wishes in the European Super Cup defeat to Real Madrid last Tuesday, when the Swede struggled throughout, because of suspensions to Eric Bailly and Phil Jones but is now prepared to bide his time with the player, as he did with Mkhitaryan last term.

Signed from Borussia Dortmund for £26.3 million last summer, the Armenia midfielder made just three substitute appearances and one start in the Premier League, when he was substituted at half-time of the 2-1 defeat by Manchester City last September, but was then not seen again in the competition until late November.

Lindelof disappointed in United’s pre-season matches and it has been noted internally that he has also looked sluggish at times in training. That contrasts with the success with which United’s other summer signings, Romelu Lukaku and Nemanja Matic, both highly influential in the victory over West Ham, have begun their Old Trafford careers, but Mourinho believes their long-standing Premier League experience gives them a significant advantage over Lindelof.