Sweden Boss Eases Victor Lindelof Injury Fears After Man Utd Defender Is Taken Off With Illness
Sweden manager Janne Andersson has revealed that illness was the reason why Victor Lindelof was taken off at half time in their UEFA Nations League match against Turkey on Saturday.
Manchester United fans were understandably concerned when the in-form Lindelof did not emerge for the second half at the Konya Büyükşehir Stadium, with Filip Helander taking his place at centre back.
However, Andersson has been quick to allay any injury concerns, assuring fans that Lindelof was only suffering from a cold.
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"Victor did not feel well but he finished the first half,” he said, as quoted by Sky Sports. "Then Filip came on and did not make a mistake, so Filip played very well."
Helander added: "It was a cold. He [Lindelof] felt ineffective."
The news will come as a relief to Jose Mourinho, for whom centre back has proved a problematic position of late. Lindelof has been United's most consistent performer in that role, starting 10 of their 12 Premier League matches so far this season.
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Andreas Granqvist's penalty gave Sweden a crucial 1-0 victory in Konya, setting up a winner-takes-all clash with Russia on Tuesday to determine who qualifies for the Nations League play-offs and wins promotion to League A.
Sweden need a win to gain promotion, so they will hope to have Lindelof back in time for the match in Solna. He was recently crowned as the Swedish player of the year after a hugely successful 2018 for the national side.
Sweden reached the World Cup quarter finals for the first time since 1994, losing in the last eight to England, with Lindelof playing four matches and keeping two clean sheets.
