Cristiano Ronaldo’s comments about Manchester United in an interview with Piers Morgan have created a huge earthquake around the footballing world.
Not only do they affect the club he is contracted to and his national team ahead of the World Cup, but they also bring his teammates into the fold, as journalists cannot help but ask questions about the whole drama.
Take Victor Lindelöf, for example, who has been called up by Sweden for some friendly games, and it didn’t take long for someone to ask him about the Manchester United situation.
The defender was having none of it, though, as he immediately made it clear that he would not be answering questions about his Old Trafford teammate.
Relayed by Fotbollskanalen, he said: “I do not know. I will not answer that question. You get to take the next question.”
Asked if Manchester United had asked him to keep quiet about it all, Lindelöf made it clear: “It’s my decision.”
Then came comments from Niclas Green, the national team’s acting press manager, who clarified the situation fully.
He said: “He doesn’t want to talk about this. It came up during a conversation we had. It’s something to do with his club and employer. It really has nothing to do with this context. He wants to talk about the national team.
“My job is partly to create a good environment for people to be able to perform in. My job is to make sure that you can do a sensible job but also that the players can perform. This is something that can typically create a huge energy leak in many directions and edges.”
Lindelöf has played fairly regularly under Erik ten Hag this season at Manchester United, making 11 appearances in all competitions, although only five of those have come int he Premier League.
