Jose Mourinho has vowed to give Victor Lindelof time to establish himself at Manchester United.
The Sweden defender was signed from Benfica in a £30.7m deal in the summer, but struggled on his debut in last week's UEFA Super Cup defeat against Real Madrid in Macedonia.
United began the 2017-18 Premier League season with a 4-0 win over West Ham United, with fellow new signings Romelu Lukaku and Nemanja Matic impressing, but Lindelof failed to even make the bench.
In response to the omission, Mourinho told Sky Sports News: "I think Real Madrid was too early for him. He played because [Phil] Jones and [Eric] Bailly were both suspended. The difference between Lukaku and Matic is that they have years and years of experience of Premier League.
"In 2004 I bought a phenomenal central defender to England, Ricardo Carvalho. He was one of the best central defenders in the last decade in the Premier League. But he struggled and it was difficult for him to come and adapt in the beginning.
"Victor needs a little bit of time and he is going to have that time. Let's go step by step because Victor is a fantastic player."
Lindelof made a total of 73 appearances for Benfica, and has also won 12 caps for Sweden.
Giuseppe Labellarte
