- Two Swedish fans were shot dead and a third injured in the terror attack in Brussels
- Lindelof played in the Euro qualifier between Belgium and Sweden, which was abandoned
- But despite the ordeal, Lindelof is available for Saturday’s trip to Bramall Lane
Victor Lindelof will be available for Manchester United’s match against Sheffield United on Saturday evening, despite being involved in the terror attack in Brussels in midweek.
Two Swedish fans were shot dead and another injured during the random attack by a lone gunman ahead of Sweden’s Euro 2024 qualifier against Belgium.
The match was subsequently abandoned and will not be replayed, with Sweden captain Lindelof leading the call for it not to be replayed.
Although the United defender endured a terrible ordeal this week and suffered from sleep deprivation, manager Erik ten Hag revealed he will be available to play at Bramall Lane.
‘It is a terrible situation and sad for the victims and the relatives, relatives and friends of the victims there in Brussels. It’s a crazy world,” said Ten Hag.
Victor Lindelof pictured after Sweden’s Euro 2024 qualifier against Belgium was abandoned on Sunday evening following the deaths of two Swedish fans in a terrorist attack in Brussels
Lindelof expressed his condolences to the families of the victims in an Instagram post on Tuesday
Two Swedish fans were shot dead and another injured in the random attack by a lone gunman
Swedish supporters were held in the stadium by Belgian police until 4 a.m. after the attack
‘Of course Victor had a problem, it’s a bad experience. As the Swedish national team he was the captain, he had to stay up front and make statements, but he dealt with it.
‘He’s exhausted afterwards. He didn’t sleep a night. He returned and yesterday (Thursday) he was training again. He handled the situation.
‘Our thoughts are with Victor, the relatives of the victims and the victims. Victor has energy and is ready to play this game.”
The other options to play alongside Raphael Varane in central defense are Jonny Evans and Harry Maguire, who impressed against Brentford last time out before featuring in England’s Euro 2024 victory over Italy.
Maguire seems to be emerging from a difficult period in which he was sometimes booed by his own fans for club and country.
“I didn’t hear it,” Ten Hag added. “All the fans supported us against Brentford and the games before that. I think we have a strong bond with the fans.
‘I don’t think Harry will be booed. He doesn’t deserve it. His performances against Brentford and for England were very good.”
Harry Maguire could be in contention for his former club after recent good performances
Maguire returns to his former club Sheffield United, who are bottom of the Premier League, but will seize the opportunity to throw United back into crisis mode.
“Every match in the Premier League is difficult,” said Ten Hag. “If you saw their results against Man City and Spurs, they were very close wins. If you don’t play your best football, you can lose.
‘We won our last game away (at Burnley) so that’s not what it’s about in the end. You can’t figure out the past and last year we came third in the league. We won a cup and were in the final again. We live in the future, we have to change the future.’
