Varun Pai
Manchester United ace Victor Lindelof suffers injury ahead of Atalanta game
According to The Sun, Manchester United star, Victor Lindelof will be unavailable for the club’s UEFA Champions League clash against Atalanta on Tuesday night due to injury.
The Swede started the season in good form as he formed a great partnership with Harry Maguire. However, the pair lasted only until Ole Gunnar Solskjaer felt comfortable fielding Raphael Varane & Maguire together.
Although the Frenchman and the English international have been United’s choice of a preferred centre-back pairing, Lindelof has come into the line-up in recent weeks after both Maguire and Varane picked up injuries at different stages over the past month.
However, the trio was seen together in the game against Tottenham Hotspur as they pulled off the club’s 2nd clean sheet across all competitions this season. However, the Old Trafford outfit now faces an intimidating test in mid-week as they face Atalanta in the Stadium of Bergamo.
Unfortunately for Solskjaer, he will not have his Swedish defender fit for the game after he picked up an injury during training. However, is thought that the 27-year-old’s injury could mean a return for Eric Bailly into the starting line-up.
Alternatively, Luke Shaw has also previously featured in a three-man defence, quite notably in the victories against Man City & Chelsea in the 2019/20 season. However, there are no certainties over the Norwegian boss opting for three at the back as he could just as easily revert to his old formation.
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But regardless of the formation, the defence will need to be tight, especially after Atalanta’s first-half performance against United a couple of weeks ago. The Italian side has been poor in Serie A this season but are only two points off the Manchester-based club in the UCL group.
Thus, if United do plan on keeping a leeway between them and their closest competitors to qualify for the knockout stage, a victory on Tuesday night would be the right step in that direction.
