Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag said Victor Lindelof had been “exhausted” but was ready to play in Saturday’s match at Sheffield United after his distressing experience in Belgium earlier in the week.
Lindelof captained the Sweden side whose Euro 2024 qualifier against Belgium in Brussels on Monday was abandoned at half-time after two Swedish fans were shot dead before the game and another injured three miles from the King Baudouin Stadium.
Ten Hag told a press conference on Friday: “A terrible situation, and I feel really sad for the victims, for all the relatives, family, friends of the victims in Brussels. It’s a crazy world.
“Of course Victor, they had a problem, it’s a bad experience. As captain of the Swedish team, he had to stay in front and give statements. But he dealt well with it.
“Of course he’s exhausted after this experience because also he didn’t sleep overnight. He returned, and yesterday he was back in training. He dealt with the situation.
“Our thoughts once again were with Victor, with the victims and the victims’ relatives. Victor has energy and is ready to play this game.”
United head into the match at Bramall Lane amid considerable talk about their ownership situation, with Qatari banker Sheikh Jassim last weekend understood to have ended his attempt to buy the club, while INEOS founder Sir Jim Ratcliffe is reportedly looking to purchase a 25 per cent stake.
When asked about that situation, Ten Hag said he was “not involved in this”, adding: “Others in the club are dealing with this.
“I am focusing on my team, on the coming block (of games), and I am focusing on the most important priority, the next game – it’s all about that.”
In their last outing before the international break, United – currently 10th in the Premier League table – appeared set for a seventh defeat of the season in all competitions, and third in eight days, before a stoppage-time double from Scott McTominay secured them a 2-1 home win over Brentford.
The visitors had taken the lead in the first half through Mathias Jensen in what was another questionable moment for Andre Onana, the goalkeeper signed from Inter Milan in the summer.
While Ten Hag says Onana has to “step up”, he has reiterated his belief that the Cameroon international will come good and pointed to the example of some of United’s past goalkeepers.
“He knows, we know, he will do much better and as every player who’s coming into the Premier League, you need an integration period, but he has to step up,” Ten Hag said.
“Also, big United keepers like Peter Schmeichel, David De Gea, also they started not too good, and I think for Andre it is good to know a little bit from the history.
“But we live now, we live in the future, and he has to make his future by giving better performances – and he will do, I’m sure.
“He already showed that so many times in big clubs like Barcelona, when he was young, Ajax, Inter Milan, he was in the semi-finals and final of the Champions League. He’s a great player, and I’m sure he will give us performances and I’m sure we will have a lot of joy with him.”
United have Raphael Varane and Sergio Reguilon available for the clash with the bottom-of-the-table Blades after injury lay-offs, and Sofyan Amrabat, despite him not being involved for Morocco during the international break.
Jonny Evans, who sustained a knock while playing for Northern Ireland, also appears to be in contention – but Casemiro has been ruled out by an injury sustained on Brazil duty that Ten Hag has said is “not too bad”.
Luke Shaw, Tyrell Malacia, Lisandro Martinez and Aaron Wan-Bissaka remain sidelined while Jadon Sancho has been training away from the first team, with the club having said that is “pending resolution of a squad discipline issue”.
Asked if there was any change to Sancho’s situation, Ten Hag said: “Everything has been said about it.”
Keane doubts Man Utd will crack top four under Amorim this season
Roy Keane does not believe Manchester United will get back into the Premier League's top four under Ruben Amorim this season due to a "real lack of quality".
The Red Devils legend was speaking after United started life under the Portuguese with a 1-1 draw at Ipswich Town, as Omari Hutchinson cancelled out Marcus Rashford's second-minute opener.
Keane acknowledged Amorim has to be given time to turn things around at Old Trafford, but does not see United cracking the top four this season.
"You have to give the man a chance," Keane told Sky Sports. "But the threat going forward, it's a huge problem for Man Utd. It's not good enough.
"Do I believe they have the quality to get them back to top four? Absolutely not. The evidence is not there. It's the same old stuff. Predictable and a real lack of quality."
United created 0.9 xG compared to Ipswich's 1.75 and had fewer shots on target (four) compared to Ipswich (six) at Portman Road.
They did have more touches in the opposition box (16 to 11) but had fewer final-third entries (48 to 61) and big chances created (two to three).
Ipswich were extremely resilient opponents after their early setback, and Tractor Boys boss Kieran McKenna praised his side, particularly Hutchinson after he grabbed his first Premier League goal.
"I thought he (Hutchinson) was a big threat first half, naturally more a winger, but most teams are going to press us high and in the spaces in the middle of the pitch having a dribbler in the middle of the pitch who's elusive and hard to pick up can be a big threat," he told Sky Sports.
"I think it's his first goal in the Premier League he'll be happy to have that of his back and he's improving."
"The first half, it's a blow to concede the early goal but I thought as the half went on we grew in the ascendancy, and the intensity of pressing and work on the ball.
"I thought we were the dominant team in the first half and deserved to be going in at least level. Second half in fairness, Man Utd had more control. It was difficult, we had to defend with real discipline on shape."
Leganes 0-3 Real Madrid: Mbappe and Bellingham score as Blancos close on Barcelona
Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham were both on target as Real Madrid moved to within four points of LaLiga leaders Barcelona with a 3-0 win at Leganes.
Federico Valverde also scored for Carlo Ancelotti's side, who still have a game in hand on leaders Barca, who were pegged back in a 2-2 draw with Celta Vigo on Saturday.
Mbappe ended a goal drought of over 400 minutes after being teed up by Vinicius Junior shortly before half-time, moments after Leganes had surrendered possession near the edge of their own area.
Madrid dominated possession throughout the second half and doubled their advantage in the 66th minute, Valverde drilling a low effort home from a free-kick won by Bellingham.
Bellingham later got in on the act with a header on the rebound after substitute Brahim Diaz rattled the crossbar, as Madrid cruised to back-to-back league wins.
Data Debrief: Dirty work pays off for Madrid
Mbappe's opener, scored at a vital time shortly before the interval, set Madrid on their way to victory on Sunday.
Eduardo Camavinga and Bellingham both pressed high to help the visitors recover possession in the build-up, and Madrid have now scored five goals resulting from high turnovers in LaLiga this season – the most of any team across Europe's top five leagues.
This was the first time Ancelotti had faced Leganes in LaLiga, and he has now beaten all 28 different opponents he has come up against in the competition.
Napoli 1-0 Roma: Lukaku downs former club on Ranieri's return
Claudio Ranieri's Roma return was spoilt by Romelu Lukaku, whose goal against his old club sealed a 1-0 win for Napoli.
Ranieri was appointed Roma boss over the international break, with the 73-year-old coming out of retirement to take charge of the club for a third time.
Yet it was ex-Roma striker Lukaku who decided Sunday's contest at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, with his 54th-minute effort sending Antonio Conte's team back to the top of Serie A.
Lukaku was well-placed to convert from Giovanni Di Lorenzo's cutback, bringing up his fifth Serie A goal of the campaign.
Roma, who had just two attempts and managed only 0.07 expected goals (xG) in the first half, woke up after Lukaku's goal, with Artem Dovbyk powering a header off the woodwork from a free-kick minutes later, but the visitors' comeback attempts proved fruitless.
Ranieri's next task is to rally his troops for a Europa League clash with Tottenham on Thursday.
Data Debrief: Ranieri's underwhelming return
There was no sign of an immediate upturn for 12th-place Roma, if they were hoping for a new-coach bounce.
Roma ended the first half with fewer than 70 successful passes (68). It is the first time they have had so few successful passes in the opening half of a league game since 2004-05.
With only three wins to their name in the league, they have won fewer than four matches in their opening 13 Serie A games for the first time since the 1978-79 campaign (also three).
And of course, it had to be Lukaku, who was leading their line last season, that delivered the hammer blow. The Belgium international has been involved in nine goals in Serie A this term (five goals, four assists). Only his former Everton club-mate Ademola Lookman, now a star at Atalanta, has contributed to more goals in the competition (seven goals, four assists).
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
