An insight into the reasoning behind Victor Lindelof’s premature exit from the Swedish national camp has been forthcoming on Monday.
Reds ravaged
The latest international break has of course proven an altogether concerning one for Manchester United.
First, Mason Greenwood was forced to withdraw from England’s U21 squad, after picking up a last-minute fitness problem.
This was followed by Marcus Rashford joining his attacking partner back in Manchester just days later, after the Three Lions’ senior setup confirmed that the Red Devils star had failed to shake off an ankle injury:
Get well soon, @MarcusRashford and @BukayoSaka87 💪
— England (@England) March 26, 2021
And the woes of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and co. only continued to mount on Sunday, when, after bagging a fine assist in France’s win over Kazakhstan, Anthony Martial was forced off with a knee issue early in the 2nd-half.
France’s forward Anthony Martial (R) receives assistance after an injury during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 qualification Group D football match between Kazakhstan and France, at the Astana Arena, in Nur-Sultan, on March 28, 2021. (Photo by FRANCK FIFE / AFP) (Photo by FRANCK FIFE/AFP via Getty Images)
Lindelof latest
In turn, it no doubt came as a major source of concern for the United faithful earlier today when word was forthcoming that yet another of the club’s stars had departed international duty ahead of schedule.
The player in question? Victor Lindelof.
Centre-half Lindelof started, and impressed, in a pair of outings for Sweden over the last week, helping his country to back-to-back wins over Georgia and Kosovo.
Speaking during a press conference this afternoon, however, Blågult assistant manager Peter Wettergren revealed that the 26-year-old was set for an imminent return to England, for what were described as ‘private, personal reasons’.
But such claims, in turn, have since been challenged elsewhere in the Swedish media.
As per a report from Sportbladet, an agreement was put in place with Manchester United and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer for Lindelof to fly back to England ahead of Sweden’s meeting with Estonia on Wednesday.
This comes with the stopper struggling to shake off a niggling back problem, and his club of course preparing for a chaotic season run-in over the weeks ahead.
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