Q & A: Anders Lindegaard

Although match time has been limited for Anders Lindegaard this season, the Manchester United goalkeeper remains determined to impress whenever given the opportunity.

The Danish stopper kept a clean sheet during his first and only appearance of the campaign so far, helping the Reds seal a 4-0 win over Norwich City in the Capital One Cup. Notably, that outing also saw the 29-year-old put Robert Snodgrass into the recovery position after the Canaries forward went to ground with a head injury at Old Trafford.

Here, in an exclusive interview with ManUtd.com, Lindegaard reflects on his maiden display and explains the thought process behind his good deed...

Were you pleased with your performance against Norwich?
It was good. As you say, it was my first game of the season and I enjoyed every second of it. I was pleased with playing and I think we did well as a team. It was my first official display for the manager so of course it was important.

Is it difficult coming in when you haven't played much football?
Yeah, of course it is. It is just like an outfield player who hasn't played for a long time coming back in. It is not easy to get right back into it. As a goalkeeper, there is less space for error than there is for an outfield player. You can't just drop a ball and say, 'I haven't played for six months'. That is just not how it is. But I enjoyed it, it was good to keep a clean sheet.

What went through your mind when Snodgrass went down?
I just did what any decent human being would have done. The referee had stopped the game and I just threw the ball on the goal-line, ran over to him and asked if he was okay. He looked at me, mumbled something and then his eyes disappeared. It was quite spooky. You hear stories about players passing out and swallowing their tongue, so that was the only thing I was thinking about. I turned him on his side and then spoke to the doctors. It was just an instinctive reaction.

Now that we're in the quarter final, can the players sense an opportunity for silverware?
No, not at all. I think it doesn't really matter. If we were in a semi-final and we won the first leg 100-0, it would still be just about the next game - you wouldn't focus on the final. We haven't even thought about the Stoke City game yet, I haven't thought about it. It is all about the next game. Whenever it comes around, then we will sit down and think about it.