Ruben Amorim provides Victor Lindelof injury update, explains how preparation is disrupted

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Victor Lindelof earned a start in the Carabao Cup quarter-final against Tottenham Hotspur but his match ended prematurely after being forced off the pitch with an injury in the first half.

It was a disappointing night for Manchester United at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, losing 4-3 to suffer elimination from the Carabao Cup.

Joshua Zirkzee, Amad Diallo and Jonny Evans all scored on the night after coming off the bench. This showed that Ruben Amorim can change a football match with substitutions, but United still came away without the desired result.

Two mistakes from second-choice goalkeeper Altay Bayindir led to goals for Tottenham. That said, it was a night to forget for other United players.

Victor Lindelof suffers injury blow vs Tottenham

Making his first start since United’s 2-0 win over PAOK in November, Victor Lindelof returned to the heart of the defence, with Leny Yoro to his right and Lisandro Martinez to the left.

The Swede looked rusty and suffered a knock prior to the half-time whistle.

Amorim was left with no other choice but to replace the 30-year-old, with Evans coming on in his place. Lindelof looked upset leaving the pitch amid fears of a reoccurring injury.

Speaking to MUTV after the match, Amorim was unable to get specific details on Lindelof’s injury but explained how hard the players are working to return from injury.

“I think he has something that we have to assess to say specifically what he has, but it’s tough to lose a player,” Amorim said.

“They work really hard, they want to return but like I said with Luke Shaw and Mason Mount, they had injuries and don’t have space to train.

“Just preparing games, it’s not perfect. We will try to do it again all together to have the full squad because with this schedule you need the full squad.”

Fixture congestion disrupting Manchester United preparations

It must be difficult for players returning from injury to get back into the swing of things when games are coming thick and fast and there is little time to train.

The Reds have three matches to play between now and the start of 2025, before facing seven games in January.

This helps explain why United have been careful with Yoro since his return from injury. Amorim is managing the teenage defender’s minutes in the team; he didn’t start the derby win but performed strongly versus Tottenham.

We can only suspect that they’re trying to do the same with other players. These setbacks can be unforeseen by coaches before they happen and United have been unlucky on that front over the past two years.

If you wanted a positive from United getting knocked out of the Carabao Cup, look no further than the fact it means we won’t have a two-legged tie in the new year. That means more time on the training ground for Amorim to work with United’s first-team.

Hopefully, Lindelof’s injury isn’t serious and he will be back in the team soon.