Evening Standard
·20 December 2024
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·20 December 2024
Red Devils face anxious wait over latest fitness concern during chaotic Carabao Cup quarter-final defeat at Spurs
Manchester United will assess Victor Lindelof after he limped out of the chaotic Carabao Cup quarter-final defeat by Tottenham.
The Swedish defender made only his second appearance under new boss Ruben Amorim and first start on Thursday night, having returned to action following a hamstring injury sustained on international duty with Sweden in the Nations League in November with a very late cameo in the derby win over Manchester City last weekend.
Having seemingly proved his fitness, Lindelof was then picked to start alongside Lisandro Martinez and Leny Yoro in the back three for Thursday’s last-eight clash with Spurs, only to sustain another issue and head straight down the tunnel in frustration as he was replaced by Jonny Evans shortly before half-time.
It was the latest setback in a hugely frustrating year for Lindelof, who has spent a lot of time on the sidelines and only made his first appearance of this season in the Premier League in early October.
Setback: Victor Lindelof limped off before half-time as Manchester United lost to Tottenham in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals
Mike Egerton/PA Wire
United now face another anxious wait as they prepare to determine the severity of the former Benfica centre-back’s latest injury, having dealt with multiple absences in defence almost constantly over the last few months.
Noussair Mazraoui was fine to start and play the full 90 minutes against Tottenham after a knock, though midfielder Mason Mount was absent after being forced off early against Manchester City and Luke Shaw remains sidelined after his own recent setback.
Asked for an update on Lindelof on MUTV after the 4-3 defeat in north London in which his side almost staged a remarkable comeback despite trailing 3-0 with less than half an hour to play, Amorim said: “I think he has something we have to assess to say specifically what he has but it’s tough to lose a player.
“They work really hard, they want to return but like I said, the same thing with Luke Shaw, Mason Mount and Vic, they had injuries, they don’t have space to train.
“Just preparing games is not perfect so we’ll try to do it again altogether to have the full squad because with this schedule we need the full squad.”