Jose Mourinho will give Victor Lindelof time
It has been a difficult start to life in England for Swedish defender Victor Lindelof. The centre-half, who was bought from Benfica in a deal worth over £30 million, is yet to nail down a starting place in the team with Phil Jones and Eric Bailly the preferred choice of Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho right now. However, the Portuguese did admit that: “Victor will be given time and no pressure for his evolution…Because just time and no opportunities to play, then the evolution gets slower. He needs time, no pressure, but also he needs opportunities…He will prove step by step that he is ready to play”.
The focus is very much on the entire team for Mourinho
Manchester United will be without central-midfielders Paul Pogba, Marouane Fellaini and Michael Carrick for their game against CSKA Moscow this evening, meaning the only senior-partnership Mourinho can turn to is that of Nemanja Matic and Ander Herrera. However, the manager is not panicking about that, saying: “We don’t have Fellaini, we don’t have Pogba, we don’t have Carrick. So, all three midfield players we lose for this match. The solutions are not many. We try not to focus on individual battles or specific areas on the pitch. We try to focus on the bigger picture. And we are going to have a team with quality, with balance”.
Manchester United weighing up Antoine Griezmann bid
The transfer of Diego Costa to Atletico Madrid from Chelsea has seen the combative striker leave the Premier League and add another string to the Spanish side’s bow. According to ESPN Sources, his return has apparently reignited interest from United in the French forward. While there hasn’t been any concrete interest in the striker in recent weeks, Costa’s transfer could be the final piece in the puzzle for the protracted Griezmann saga to finally end.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan says United are focused on winning the Champions League
United star Henrikh Mkhitaryan says the team are focused on winning the Champions League and are very wary of their opponents for this evening. He said: “This year we have the Champions League and we are all concentrating on winning it. We are a massive club and we will do everything we can to get to the final. If CSKA won against Benfica [this month] that means they deserve it. I watch a lot of their games in the Russian Premier League. They have a lot of experienced players but there’s a big difference from the Champions League and the Russian league so they will be playing differently”.
Mkhitaryan working hard to prove his worth
The Armenian-forward struggled in his opening season in the Premier League but he has been a fixture of the side this season. Indeed, his creativity has helped to plug the gap left by the injured Pogba. He said: “Last season I had lots of injuries and couldn’t feel good in games. This season is good and the connection between me and other players is very good and we understand each other very well and hopefully we can score lots more. I have worked very hard and will continue to make sure there is no limit. I have worked hard to get a place and I know that to get picked every game you have to work hard in training so the manager can trust you to play. I have started very well and will do my best to carry on”.