As yet another international breaks starts, managers around the Premier League will be sending their stars around the world and hoping they return healthy.

That is, those managers who haven’t managed to keep most of their players at home. There’s already been a raft of withdrawals, with multiple players themselves asking to be rested, and clubs pushing some other issues. Some of the withdrawals will be genuine injuries, others will be fear of getting one.

Unai Emery has multiple players going away with knocks or not at peak fitness. One of the Aston Villa men not quite at his sharpest is Victor Lindelöf. The defender arrived at Aston Villa in the summer after Manchester United brought an end to his career there.

Lindelöf was without a club until Aston Villa picked him up in September, and that delay means he didn’t have a preseason. Therefore it’s going to take a while for him to get fully fit, and he’s only had 25 minutes under Emery so far.

That hasn’t stopped Sweden picking him, but even they know he’s not the full package right now.

“Not an optimal situation”

CHORZOW, POLAND – 29 MARCH,...