Anders Lindegaard admits he found it hard to look on the bright side as Manchester United lost their 100% Champions League record.
With qualification already assured, Sir Alex Ferguson opted to leave most of his senior stars out of the trip to Galatasaray, meaning a 1-0 defeat was hardly a surprise. But for Lindegaard, who returned to the starting line-up at Norwich last weekend as David de Gea was recovering from having his wisdom teeth out, defeat was particularly painful.
"I have played in two games in a row now and we have lost them both," the Denmark international said. "It's very hard to find smiles about anything or a positive side. We have an important game on Saturday against QPR and need to get back on track."
That encounter with QPR is crucial, both in terms of United battling for the title and Mark Hughes' job prospects at Loftus Road.
The bad news for Hughes is that Ferguson has almost an entire team - including Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie - who have had a full week to prepare. In addition, he finally has a choice to make at the back following Phil Jones' return at the Turk Telecom Arena.
"Phil did well," Lindegaard added. "He showed he's on the way back and that he's an important player for us.
"He's going to be very important in the next couple of months when we have plenty of games coming up."
For those supporters on Ferguson's flight, on which he was accompanied by Sir Bobby Charlton, one of the main talking points was the incredible atmosphere.
The Galatasaray supporters did not enter the ground two hours before kick-off, as was the case on that infamous 'Welcome to Hell' visit 19 years ago. Neither was there anything sinister about their support. But the noise was almost ear-splitting and Lindegaard confirmed communication with his defenders at times was totally impossible.
"It was a special atmosphere to play in," he said. "So hectic, noisy and loud. I couldn't really communicate by yelling and talking."
Source: PA
