Man Utd star’s wife reveals ‘traumatic and scary’ home invasion
Manchester United have given their Swedish international defender Victor Lindelof a leave of absence after his wife and children were forced to hide from home invaders who targeted the family's home while Lindelof was playing for his club against Brentford on Wednesday evening.
During the game, which Manchester United won 3-1 and in which Lindelof played the full 90 minutes, a gang of burglars gained entry to the home and prompted his wife, Maja Nilsson Lindelof, and their young children to hide.
"We are okay under the circumstances but it was obviously a very traumatic and scary moment for both me and my little kids," Nilsson Lidelof wrote of the ordeal on Instagram.
"We are now in Sweden and are spending some time off with our families."
Manchester United's temporary boss Ralf Ragnick has since confirmed to the media that Lindelof has been excused from Saturday's game with West Ham as he and his family recover from what the German described as a "traumatic event".
"I spoke with him at length on our flight back home from London and also this morning we spoke for about 20, 25 mins. He told me what had actually happened and that this was really a traumatic event, especially for his wife and even the three-year-old son," said Ragnick to the media on Friday.
"He said to me that he right now needs to stay at home. He doesn’t want to leave his wife and family on their own, which I fully understand being a father of two. We agreed that he’ll not be training today and not be on duty tomorrow for the game."
A club statement, meanwhile, shed further light on the incident.
"We can confirm that a break-in occurred at Victor Lindelof’s house during the away game against Brentford," Manchester United announced.
"His family, who were at home at the time, were unhurt but clearly shaken. This was a distressing experience for them, and for Victor when he learned of it after the game, and the club is providing them with our full support.
"We encourage anyone with information about the crime to contact the police."
The incident is the latest in a series of break-ins targeting high profile footballers in England and on mainland Europe in recent months and comes just three weeks after Manchester City defender Joao Cancelo suffered facial injuries during a break-in at his home in the suburbs of Manchester late last year.
