By the end of the game against Arsenal, Manchester United’s centre-back pairing was Harry Maguire and Jonny Evans, which is something Erik ten Hag will have wanted to avoid.
However, a knock to Lisandro Martínez and Victor Lindelöf coming off ill meant the Dutchman was force to substitute both his centre-backs, which some will say ultimately led to the defeat.
Either way, both defenders set off soon after with their respective national teams for the international break with questions marks about their fitness, but Janne Andersson, Sweden’s manager, had some positive news about the Manchester United player.
Asked how the 29-year-old was feeling after the situation surrounding his exit from the pitch at the Emirates, he said, relayed by Fotbollskanalen: “It’s all good. Yes, there are no problems. He is up and running.”
That will be a bit of a relief for Manchester United fans because despite Lindelöf not being a first-choice when everyone is healthy, the prolonged absence of Raphaël Varane means he is likely to play more often than not in the next few weeks ahead of Maguire and Evans.
The defender looked solid throughout the game against Arsenal and is a clear preference of Ten Hag’s ahead of the other two.
