Mourinho Confirms Lengthy Absence for Man United Defender Lindelof
Jose Mourinho has confirmed that defenders Marcos Rojo and Victor Lindelof will sit out this week's Champions League clash with Young Boys, with the latter facing a prolonged spell on the sidelines.
Rojo has sat out the majority of the season so far with a knee injury, while Lindelof has found form after previously being used as a rotation option alongside Phil Jones, Chris Smalling and Eric Bailly.
Despite the 24-year-old Swede's upturn in recent outings, United have struggled to find a defensive rhythm, conceding 21 Premier League goals in just 13 games.
Adding further defensive woes to the pile, the official Manchester United twitter announced earlier that Mourinho confirmed the pair of absentees, with Rojo suffering from a further 'small injury', while Lindelof will be out for 'quite a while.'
Lindelof injured his hamstring in United's goalless draw with Crystal Palace at the weekend, with Mourinho praising the Swede for being 'brave' and playing through the pain.
With both Linedelof and Rojo missing, it adds a further strain to an already depleted United back line, as Diogo Dalot and Antonio Valencia have been out since October with return dates yet to be specified.
As far as Wednesday's clash with Young Boys at Old Trafford is concerned, a win will secure last 16 qualification provided Juventus win against Valencia, while it could see them head to the top of the group should the Italian giants fail to hold up their end.
Speaking about the important fixture, Mourinho said: "I want to play from minute one like it is the last chance we have to qualify. I want to play tomorrow like it's a knockout game - like we have to win."
Without Lindelof or Rojo, Eric Bailly might find himself involved with the first team once again, having been frozen out of the starting lineup since September, sparking rumors that he could be heading for a January exit.
