Man Utd’s defensive woes continue! Victor Lindelof return date revealed after centre-back undergoes groin surgery

The Sweden international was replaced during the team's 2-1 triumph over Chelsea in early December. Erik Ten Hag disclosed that the 29-year-old had had surgery to address the groin problem and disclosed how long his recuperation would take. It's now official that Lindelof will be sidelined for longer after missing his team's past three games against Bournemouth, Bayern Munich, and Liverpool. The Red Devils' official statement revealed that he would miss just over a month of action as he undergoes the necessary recovery process.

"Victor Lindelof is not available. He has done surgery, so he will be out for a couple of weeks. What happened? He had a problem and so [personal] is that but he has to do the surgery," the Dutchman told reporters at Friday's press conference.

Man United is now having to adjust to having three centre-backs out due to injury: Harry Maguire is still sidelined with a groin problem, while Lisandro Martinez is still recovering from his second foot surgery of the season. As a result, Jonny Evans and Raphael Varane might keep their places in the heart of the defence against West Ham, though Ten Hag has the option of moving Luke Shaw inside and naming Sergio Reguilon at left-back.

The loss is a severe one for Ten Hag with festive period clashes coming up thick and fast, starting with their visit to London to take on West Ham on Saturday, December 23.