Victor Lindelof is wary of Manchester United players becoming distracted by the ongoing sale of the club in the midst of a crucial fixture run.
The defender, 28, insists he and his teammates can only keep "focusing on our performances" ahead of three successive knockout games followed by a trip to arch-rivals Liverpool. The Red Devils host Barcelona on Thursday in the second leg of their Europa League play-off before locking horns with Newcastle in the EFL Cup final three days later.
Again, United have just two full days to prepare for their next game - a fifth-round FA Cup tie against West Ham next Wednesday - and then return to Premier League action against their bitter foe at Anfield. The hectic fixture run is a result of Erik ten Hag's side competing on four fronts and will be played against a backdrop of a potential takeover at Old Trafford.
The Glazer family announced United were up for sale last November and interested parties submitted formal bids to take charge of the club last Friday. Among those vying to buy the Red Devils is Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Britain's richest man, and a group of Qatari investors, while the Glazers could also choose to stay put with new backing.
It would be easy for United players to get caught up in the uncertainty surrounding the club's future, especially as the process will not be over quickly. As such, Lindelof insists the only way to approach the upcoming run of matches is to block out all the noise that comes with a takeover.
"I haven't given that a thought, you know, especially now with the schedule," the Swede told the PA news agency. "We can't think about that. We just have to think about the games and preparing the best that we can do. Yeah, I haven't thought about that. Whatever happens, happens, but we're just focusing on our performances."
Despite a rocky start against Leicester on Sunday, United showed little sign of being distracted by takeover speculation as they secured a 3-0 victory. Marcus Rashford was the toast of Old Trafford yet again with two fine goals before Jadon Sancho came off the bench to net a third.
Lindelof made his fifth Premier League start of the season against the Foxes and spoke of the "crazy" fixture calendar after marshalling the defence to a clean sheet. "The squad is very, very important and especially as we are in every competition at the moment," the centre-back added.
"The schedule is crazy, so the team is always the most important thing. Of course, like any player, I want to play every game but, I mean, we've been performing great as a team. Whenever I'm on the pitch, I want to do my thing and I think I've been performing great as well when I'm on the pitch."
