Manchester United have been handed a worrying injury blow ahead of their return to Premier League action, with Victor Lindelof potentially ruled out this weekend.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Red Devils host Brighton and Hove Albion on Sunday evening and have the chance to close the gap to Manchester City at the top of the table. They could be without one of their first-choice defenders, though, with the Norwegian revealing that the former Benfica man was missing from training after his return from international duty.
The £21.6m-rated defender originally departed the Sweden camp for “personal reasons” and now could also be excluded from club action which will continue to be a big blow for the Red Devils.
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Lindelof, usually Solskjaer’s first-choice defensive partner alongside Harry Maguire, has already sat out seven Premier League games throughout the 2020/21 season. In two of the matches he has missed, the Red Devils lost 6-1 to Tottenham Hotspur as well as being defeated 2-1 at home by basement club Sheffield United.
In each of Lindelof’s last three Premier League appearances for the club, they have managed to claim a clean sheet, indicating his impact on the defence.
Solskjaer has also been recently praising the “understanding” between his defenders, with United having found a stubbornness and defensive resilience in the Premier League.
With Lindelof being ruled out, though, the manager is likely to turn to Eric Bailly, who has started just seven Premier League games this season. He has also appeared only once in the league since the start of February.
The United boss will certainly be hoping that Lindelof can return to training sooner rather than later and reclaim his position at the heart of the Red Devils’ defence.
AND in more news, have a closer look at an extraordinary swap deal that the Red Devils must complete…