Why Victor Lindelof missed Man Utd vs Southampton in the Premier League

The Manchester United defender was a surprise absence from the squad against Southampton.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

Victor Lindelof missed Manchester United’s Premier League game against Southampton through illness, Erik ten Hag has confirmed.

The Swedish defender has played just nine times in the league this season for the Red Devils, with only five of those being starts. He’s fallen behind Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez in the pecking order and, while not expected to start at Old Trafford, it was a surprise that he wasn’t listed in the 20-man squad on Sunday.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Speaking ahead of the game, Ten Hag told MUTV that a minor illness ruled him out of the clash with the Saints.

It’s the second weekend in a row Lindelof has been a surprise absentee from the matchday squad. The centre-back also sat out the 7-0 loss to Liverpool at Anfield with a knock but recovered in time to be back on the bench for the midweek Europa League win over Real Betis.

Meanwhile, Ten Hag also confirmed ahead of the game that Jadon Sancho will start in the no.10 role. It’s the first time Sancho has started a league game since the 2-0 away win against Leeds United on 12 February.

It means Antony started from the right, Marcus Rashford was on the left and Wout Weghorst played up front. Bruno Fernandes dropped into a deeper midfield role alongside Casemiro. In defence, Aaron Wan-Bissaka replaced Diogo Dalot, and he was named in the starting line-up with Varane, Martinez and Luke Shaw. David de Gea retained his place in nets following a disappointing display against Betis on Thursday.